A New Cat In Town
by ChayneRaection
Summary: Tohru gets permission to adopt a cat and now it looks like there's competition over her heart. As the newly adopted cat slowly steals her away from Kyo, war breaks out between the two.
1. Trip To The Pet Store

**I'm officially off my little break and back with this new story that I hope you all enjoy.**

**Italics are thoughts.**

**Fruits Basket is something that I don't own.**

**Anyway, hm, on with the story and enjoy.**

**---**

July 2nd. The date was circled on Tohru's calendar with one of her red markers. Summer was in full swing and she was currently on vacation from school. To make things better, a week before, she had asked Shigure if she could get permission to adopt a pet. He approved and told her that they'd go out to pick a pet to bring home. Tohru stared at her calendar as if it would answer her swarm of mental questions that rolled through her mind. 

_What should I get? Maybe a really cute puppy... but then it might be expensive. Ah! What if I get a bunny? They're so fluffy and cute..._

The mental debate continued until she finally turned her head to her door. When the motion was complete, Tohru whispered, "I can ask for ideas... I guess." as she was getting off her bed. She took the small steps to her door and pulled it open before entering the empty hallway. Her brown hair swayed from side to side as she looked left, then right to find the others. No words were spoken though a sad look was present on her face. "What if..." Tohru spoke to herself and left to go to the main room.

Sounds of people occupying the room reached the girl's ears and she smiled to find her friends. When she got into the room, she ran her eyes over them before speaking. The first to notice her presence was Yuki who smiled as he raised a hand to her as if giving a lazy wave. "Ms. Honda, how are you?" he asked in a low but polite voice, his smile not fading one bit as he spoke. Tohru waved as she took a few steps deeper into the room. All of this made Shigure glance over and Kyo try to hide a dreamy smile by trying to reinforce his tough exterior.

"I'm fine, thanks. I was wondering...if you guys can help me with ideas on what pet to get." she explained to them as they nodded to her words. When she was finished, they all began to think and the room was silent. It was then that the suggestions began to pour forward to her. "You can probably get a hamster." one of them randomly spoke up and then got drowned out by some more talking.

When everything got settled, Tohru still didn't know which pet to get and, if anything, asking the males only made it worse. Now, her mind was filled with even more possibilities of animals that she could have as a pet. "Um...thanks." she smiled with a small tilt of the head when the others were finished. Opening her eyes, Tohru saw Kyo who was the farthest from the small group and from what she could remember; he didn't bother to suggest anything to her. _Maybe Kyo can help me. Oh, but he doesn't look like he wants to talk to me. _Tohru thought to herself. Her watching to caught by the bright haired Sohma who looked back but only for a moment.

"Kyo? I'm not bothering...am I?"

"What? No. What is it?"

"Today Shigure's going to take me to get a pet. Um...do you have any ideas on what I should get?"

"I don't know. Pick an animal that you like."

The short conversation was made even shorter when Shigure gasped quietly. "That's what this is all about? I almost forgot. Come on. We might as well get it now, Tohru," he said, getting up from his seat and leaving to get ready to go outside. The room had one less person in it now and eventually, two as she also left to go to her room.

_I should get a cat. Maybe then Kyo won't seem so down in the dumps since there'll be another cat around._

The thoughts continued as she quickly changed from her pajamas to clothes that she'd wear outside. A few swipes through her hair with her brush and Tohru was making her way out the door. She went back to the main room and decided to wait for Shigure to come back so they could go to the pet store. While she waited, she saw Yuki had left while Kyo was still in the room. He was on the opposite side, reading a magazine…or from what Tohru could see, anyway.

For Kyo, the room was filled with a painful silence. Him on one side of the room and the girl he'd picked up feelings for, on the other._ Just keep your cool and act like you're reading this magazine. She'll go away eventually and then everything will be better. He kept saying to himself._ If anything, this was one thing that kept happening to him. He had so many feelings for the unknowing girl and wanted to be around her but when the time came, it was nothing but mental torture. Usually, this made Kyo bring up that tough-guy appearance so he could hide what was really going on. On the other hand, Tohru never picked any of this up and was so blissfully unaware of what she kept causing.

A minute or two past and the room was still deathly silent and Tohru looked over to Kyo with a curious twinkle in her eyes. Doing the same, Kyo slowly turned his head and paused when he and Tohru's eyes hit dead center with each other. Quickly, she flinched from the surprising eye contact and looked down to the floor. The other took the accident a totally different way and he looked back to the magazine and used it to hide his tomato-red blush. He coughed and went to leave; all while the pages of the magazine covered his face.

_Wonder what that was about. I hope he's okay._ A worried Tohru frowned as she watched him go. Quickly, he was replaced with another that smiled upon seeing her. "Tohru, are you finished?" Shigure asked as he stopped beside the girl. She just nodded and followed him out of the house. As they went, Shigure shouted out reminders to Yuki and Kyo such as not to kill each other or play chess since the last time they played, one of the pieces somehow embedded itself into the table. The excuse? The two were playing a game and Kyo, who took the game as a rival match, used too much force and broke the chess board…leaving the piece embedded into the table.

---

Half an hour later, the two was at a pet store and scanning through the animals. It was just the afternoon and the store was decently filled with people. Some of them were workers and others were customers who were just there to look at all the pets they had.

"Oh, Tohru, take your time!"

Shigure gave another complain as he watched her dart from animal to animal. They had been there for a good twenty minutes and now she was almost having a nervous breakdown. "I'm so sorry that I'm holding you up!" Tohru cried out as she left a tank of tiny green and blue fish. It all made him laugh as he followed her into another section of the store. When he had gotten beside her, he repeated, "I said to take your time" and now with a hand on her shoulder. Tohru looked up to him and saw he was smiling as if to show he was serious.

"Do you even know what animal you'd like to get?" He asked as he slid his hand from her shoulder. The girl shrugged but then said how she wanted to get a cat. Shigure slightly frowned at the random choice, "A cat?" and she nodded. "Yeah. That way, Kyo won't be in a bad mood or anything. He probably just needs another cat in the house, you know?" Tohru explained as a smile grew and grew. Shigure just nodded and watched her walk off into the section of cats._ It's not that he's in a bad mood, Tohru; he's just having issues on what to do with you._ He thought to himself with a small smile. The thought set off a small flashback, which started off as a joke to him but turned into something serious.

-Flashback-

The uniform in the Sohma house was one that screamed winter. Everyone was dressed on socks, old sweatshirts, and baggy pants, anything to keep them warm. The four were all in the living room of the home drinking hot chocolate that Tohru had made. It was freshly made since thin streaks of heat floated from the drinks, through the fluffy marshmallows. "Your welcome." Tohru said when she finished handing out the mugs.

She took her seat on one of the cushions and looked into the brown liquid. Gently, she blew on the mug while Kyo watched her with piercing red-orange eyes. "You should really let it sit. Drinking it now will only burn your tongue." He said with his mug resting on the table to cool off a bit. The others agreed but watched as she just giggled. "Aw, don't worry about me." Tohru smiled and took a few sips of the hot chocolate and set it on the table.

"Nugh! It's hot!"

The cry erupted as Tohru dashed to get something cold to drink. Yuki watched in worry and went to follow her. The other just watched, knowing she'd be fine in the end and noticed Kyo didn't move an inch. Instead, his eyes seemed dark with worry. "Kyo?" Shigure asked and saw him glance up to him, "She'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I told her not to drink the damn hot chocolate but she did and look what happened!" the cat Sohma said loudly. Shigure laughed but then waved a hand to him and stopped, "She'll be fine. You must really care about her."

"So? You and Yuki care about her too!"

"We do but not like how you care about her. I saw how you was when she left. It's like… it's like you love her."

"Shigure, don't you ever say that again! I swear to God if yo-"

"Uh-oh! I think I hit a nerve! It's okay… I won't tell her. Even if I did… she probably wouldn't understand. Tohru's too unknowing of love and she's just too innocent."

-End Flashback-

"Shigure!"

The call startled him from his thoughts as he saw Tohru waving him over. "I found the perfect pet!" she called out to him. Shigure went down the aisle, following her calls and waves. When he had gotten to her, she points to a cage that had a cat in it. It was all black with baby blue eyes. As he studied the cat, Tohru slipped a finger between the bars and began to stroke its little face.

"The tag says it's a boy." She informed and pointed to a tag near the cage. Shigure followed her other hand to the take and began to read it. "Oh, yeah. It is a boy. Is this what you want to get?" he asked, letting go of the tag.

Tohru nodded as she took her finger from the cage and clapped her hands together. "Yes, please!" she said with sparkling eyes. He just nodded back and went to inform one of the workers that he'd like to buy the black cat. Watching the Sohma leave, Tohru looked back to the black cat and smiled. Compared to its midnight fur, the baby blue eyes seemed to glow. Again, she reached two fingers between the bars and began to brush them along the cat's face.

"You're so cute! I can't wait to bring you home!"

---

**Yay, the first chapter is down and the next should be up soon. I also need a little help on what to name the cat. I have an idea but I'd like to see what you guys think he should be named. You can include it in a review or private message me the name, which ever works for you. Hugs to all.**


	2. The Cat's Out Of The Bag

**I'm so happy with how this story is going. So many people reviewed it, added it to their favorites, etc. It really helped in typing up this chapter. A giant thanks to xFadingMoonx, Sonozakisisters, Chaell, Gaara-Fan3125, Otaku-Rehab, Kyo-Honda and to -Sweeping Shadows-. ****I don't own Fruits Basket but it doesn't't stop me from loving Haru, Hatori and more.**

**_My responses to reviews..._**

**_xFadingMoonx_: That's a cute name. Thanks for throwing it in and for reviewing!**

**_Sonozakisisters_: Tee hee, hm. I have a black cat plushie named Midnight. That name rocks.**

**_Chaell_: Yay for a big review. Happy you're liking the story and I hope it stays that way. I admit... I don't know where I get my ideas from. **

**_Otaku-Rehab_: Aw, that's so cute. Give Spike a hug for me, please. I love cats. Thanks and happy holidays to you, too.**

**_Kyo-Honda_: Oh, I like that name, hm. Thanks for putting it up.**

--

When the young lady was finished, she began to take the cat from its cage and into a cardboard carrier. As she did this, she struck up a conversation with Shigure while Tohru watched. "Alright. Here you go, Sir." She said once everything was finished and gave the carrier a small push on the counter towards them. They both nodded as he took the handle and carried it out the store.

It was a short walk but it seemed longer by the constant questioning Tohru. They would walk in silence until she'd ask, "Are you okay? Here, I'll carry it." But she always got turned down. Shigure just laughed and said he was fine and besides, he could clearly imagine her getting into some type of conversation with the cat. _And no one would like you getting hit by a car… especially Kyo. He'd kill me if he found out I let something like that happen to you._ He thought to himself as he switched the carrier to his other hand.

--

Arriving home, he set down the carrier and went into the main room to see how Yuki and Kyo did on being alone together. "How did everythi- What happened to my house?!" Shigure gasped when he saw the table had been over turned and Yuki was sweeping what looked like glass. The cry got Tohru into the room seconds later and after seeing the room, she had the same reaction.

Yuki looked up at the two and shly smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry, Shigure. Kyo had a bit of a fit." He said and went back to sweeping. Now that he mentioned it, the cat Sohma wasn't in the room. "A fit? What happened?" Tohru asked, curious to see what could have made Kyo destroy the room. For the second time, the sweeping male looked up and sighed. "He got mad that I drank the last of the milk…then he wanted to fight but I refused." Yuki explained as he went back to sweeping. He created a small pile of glass and random things and pushed it onto the dustpan. "He left to get more though." Yuki said to them and left to empty the dustpan and put that and the broom away.

"I hope Kyo is okay when he gets back." Tohru said out loud as she turned over the table. Shigure nodded and also helped, taking cushions that was scattered around the room back into their proper places. When it was all done, Tohru sighed and saw Yuki had returned with empty hands. "Oh, thanks for helping." He said when he got further into the room.

Changing the subject, Yuki asked how the trip to the pet store went and Tohru quickly left to get the carrier. As he did this, the two Sohmas watched and laughed at how excited she was. "What animal did she get?" Yuki asked with a hand to his chin and Shigure answered back, "She got a cat. She thinks it'll get Kyo into a better mood and things."

Hearing quick footsteps, the two looked at the entrance and saw Tohru with the carrier in her hands. "Look" she said as she put it on the table and began to open it, "Shigure let me get a cat. He's so cute. He's all black with baby blue eyes." When the carrier was opened, she took a step back for the cat to come out but it didn't, instead, it stood there as if scared to go out.

"Have you named him yet?" Yuki asked as he peeked into the box to see the new cat. Tohru shook her head with a small frown, "No. Let's see…I will call him…" she said but paused to pick up the cat from its carrier so she could get a better look at him. "I'll call him Shinta!" she said, raising the cat into the air as his eyes widened. Now that the cat had been named, it felt like they had taken a step forward on the topic.

Tohru laughed at the large blue eyes that stared to her as she twirled with the cat sill in her arms. "Look, Shinta. This is Yuki." She said to the cat when she shifted him so he faced Yuki. He just smiled and gave the cat a small pat and then she turned to Shigure. He also waved but didn't bother to touch Shinta, "And this is Shigure." When the introductions were finished, she hugged the black cat and continued speaking. "You'll see Kyo when-" Tohru said softly to the cat when she got interrupted by sounds of someone entering the home.

The sounds continued into the kitchen and then into the living room. "I got more milk. You better not drink it all or…" Kyo began to threaten but then stopped to see that Tohru and Shigure had returned. The first thing that caught his eye was the cat in the girl's arms but for all the wrong reasons. "What the hell is that?" he asked, pointing a demanding finger to the black ball of fur. Tohru frowned at the question as she looked down to Shinta, then to Kyo.

"This is Shinta. Shigure got me him from the pet store."

_So… she got a cat? _Kyo mentally asked as his eyes widened. He felt replaced, he felt hurt and he felt… numb. Everything felt like it was swirling in slow motion for him. _Why would she get a cat? Is she…replacing me? No! I won't let some random pet store cat take my home, drink my milk and… and… BE WITH MY TOHRU!_

There was silence as Kyo just stared as the brunette girl just hugged Shinta as he purred a soft tune. "That's…great." He said with a weak smile and quickly left. Tohru's worried eyes followed him all the way out the room and sighed, "What happened? I thought he'd be happy with another cat in the house." Yuki sighed and took a step closer to her. "It's probably nothing. There hasn't been another cat here for a while now so he just needs time to adjust." He explained and Shigure joined in. "Yeah. Besides, maybe it's just a cat thing." He shrugged.

--

While they were inside, Kyo was outside but feeling confused as ever. "Why would she get a new cat? I bet she'll start obsessing with him and forgetting all about me. But not unless I tell her my feelings right now…" he whispered to himself as he sat on a random boulder that was in the forest area of the property. Quietly sighing, Kyo looked up to the sky and scanned the clouds like they'd give him an answer. "If I told her how I feel everything will be better and maybe… maybe we could be tog- no. It'll never happen." He said sadly as he shifted his position on the rock.

When he was finished, he rested his chin in his hands as he continued the conversation with himself but in his thoughts. _Like she'd fall for someone like me. And this stupid curse doesn't help either… you know what? Fuck it! I'll tell her straight out how I feel. I don't care what happens!_

The burst of determination made him jump to his feet and clench his hands into fists. Kyo looked at the house that was somewhat hidden behind trees and started to jog back. "I'm going to tell her how I feel… I'm going to tell her everything!" he said out loud, getting himself more pumped up as he picked up his jogging pace.

--

"Tohru?" Kyo called out when he got to the Sohma house and looked around. She was nowhere to be seen and when he had gotten into the main room, he found her looking through a book. Hearing someone enter the room, she looked up and saw him. "Kyo!" Tohru greeted and hurried stood up, "What happened? I got worried when you randomly left earlier." He said nothing but looked around for the damned cat she had brought home not too long ago. "No. Shinta's not here." Tohru said as if automatically knowing why he was searching the room, "He's in my room. I left him there so he could look around and get familiar with it."

_Good. That stupid Shinta's not here._ Kyo smiled to himself as he sat down beside Tohru, her sitting back down also. "Um… Tohru. You know, I have a lot of things to tell you right now." He started slowly, trying to keep his usual front up. The girl just looked at him and nodded for him to continue. "Well, you've been at this house for a while and you're like family to Yuki, Shigure and me so…" he said and stopped when he noticed hat he didn't even know where he was going with it. _Crap. Dammit, why does this keep happening?! What do I say? Should I tell her straight out? Yes! That's what I've been planning on doing._

When the Sohma stopped, he seemed to have a confused yet searching expression, which Tohru giggled at. "Are you okay?" she asked, leaning forward to inspect a slowly growing redness on Kyo's face. Leaning away, Tohru frowned, "Don't tell me you're sick." And slapped a hand to his forehead. That did was really the icing on it as Kyo mentally panicked to her touch and struggled away from her. "Gahhh, no! I'm fine!" he said while scooting away from her. _Fuck, man. This getting out of hand. _Kyo mentally cursed as he looked to Tohru and opened his mouth to speak.

While Kyo was about to speak, about to confess his love for Tohru, about to take the plunge… a loud crash sounded from her room.

"Oh my goodness, Shinta!" Tohru screamed, running out of the main room. She didn't even notice that Kyo was about to speak to her and still his mouth was open. He stared forward, his mouth hanging open in total disbelief on what happened.

There he was… about to take one of the biggest steps in his teen age life when it was ruined by a cat named Shinta.

--

**Yup, I ended up using Shinta and thanks to Kyo-Honda for giving me the name. The next chapter should be up soon but with Christmas being so close, I'm not going to make any promises. Hugs to all, hm.**


	3. Love Is A Battlefield

**Here's another chapter for you guys. Hm, Fruits Basket still doesn't belong to me but I still love it anyway. Also...there's a lot of thinking on Kyo's part (look for the italics) so that's just a heads up. Thanks to KairiBlossom07, Black anime fan and Chaell.**

**_My responses to reviews..._**

**_Black anime fan_: Yay, I'm happy that you both like the story. Aw, you guys are sisters? I'm the only child. I've heard it's great to have a sister or siblings in general though. Hm? You found it funny? Double yay. **

**_Chaell_: Isn't Shinta a nice name? I know who we have to thank for the name. Oooh, guesses on the end of the story...well, I can't promise anything so let your imagination run wild. It's alright about your babbling and long reviews. I like reading reviews so the longer, the better...yeah, I'm a nerd.**

--

Sound of pounding footsteps left the room and into the hallway, eventually fading away after that. All that was left in the room was Kyo who by now, clenched his teeth and created a tight fist. "Damn it!" he shouted, trying his best not to break the table in half. Just when things seemed like they couldn't have gone any worse, Shigure entered the room with a smirk.

Putting one hand to hold his elbow while he rested his chin on the other, he simply looked down to the fuming Kyo. He said nothing but watched, "Let me guess... Shinta, huh?" Shigure finally asked but in a teasing tone with his smirk to match.

The redhead didn't answer and stared down to the wooden floor. Finally he managed to mumble out a few words. "Shut up...Shigure." he whispered with an angry tremble, which made the other chuckle. "It's alright, Kyo. I'm sure there are others that had their moments ruined because of a cat. Oh! Isn't this coincidence? Shinta's all black, too!" he said, waving his hand around in a mocking way of comfort. It did nothing to help and only made him tremble a bit more. It was silent and Kyo finally sighed but stopped once he heard the other go on.

"Don't worry. Tohru's such a nice girl and you know how high schoo-" he said with another wave of the hand until Kyo jumped in and glared into his dark eyes. Using a burst of breath, he repeated, "I SAID SHUT UP!" Finally, he was able to get his point across as Shigure frowned and closed his eyes to the shouted order. Slowly, he opened his eyes and smiled but this time, not a mocking one. "Alright, alright." he surrendered with his hands out, palms to Kyo, "Actually, I wanted to help you out."

For the few minutes after that, the two sat down and talked quietly. Rhythmic footsteps go louder and they approached the entrance to the main room. As the door pulled open, Tohru greeted the two males. Her ever-present smile was enough to make Kyo crack a small smile but when he noticed the black fur against the girl's pink shirt, he frowned. _Shinta._

"I'm sorry. Shinta knocked something over in my room but I cleaned it up." was the first thing she said once she got close enough to them.

Lowering herself onto a cushion, Shinta began to slowly walk off her lap and onto the floor. Seeing the glaring already starting between the two cats, Shigure gave a small nudge to Kyo but only nodded slightly when he looked over to him. "Wellll, I must go." Shigure announced as he stretched his arms forward. As he did this motion, Shinta stared and slowly backed away as if scared. He just ignored it and continued speaking as he stood up and began to leave the room, "So, I'll leave you all alone."

Tohru waved as he left and then turned her eyes to Kyo and smiled. "Here. Why don't you and Shinta spend some time together?" she asked, leaning forward to pick up the cat and handed him to Kyo. _Spend time with Shinta? Fucks no! I wanna spend time with you!_ He mentally whined but took Shinta into his hands anyway.

With a bored expression, he began to pet its shiny fur but continued his thoughts. _Damn cat._ _Why did she even get you anyway?_ It was then, as if feeling the murderous tense in the air around them, Shinta began to twitch and struggle to turn its body in Kyo's hands. "What's wrong?" Tohru cooed with slight worry when she saw how he was reacting. The Sohma just ignored him until he looked down into the light blue eyes and saw something odd but he didn't get a chance to figure it out until he was met with a hiss and flashing swipes of paws.

"Ah, shit! Get off of me!"

The girl jumped at the yelling and her eyes widened when she saw Shinta struggling in Kyo's arms as he hissed and continued to scratch him. "I said to GET OFF!" Kyo said again but even loud as he tossed the cat from his bloody arms and onto the floor. Without even a look back, Shinta darted out of the room and into another section of the house.

Kyo stood in his spot on the cushion but examined his hands and arms. His tan skin was marked with red lines and puncture wounds from when Shinta's nails literally got caught on his skin. Even the sections that weren't baring wounds were covered by thin trails of blood. One went from his elbow and down his arm. His eyes followed it to his wrist and gasped when he saw a small hand take his wrist.

"Kyo! You're...you're bleeding...a lot! I'll get the first-aid kit!" Tohru panicked and ran out of the room, her brown hair looking some type of cape behind her.

"That damned Shinta." he whispered as he tried to stand up. Kyo hated looking weak and looking weak in front of Tohru made it even more. It took such a while for him to stand from the pain and angry thoughts that Tohru returned to find him in the act. Tossing the plastic box onto the table, she jogged beside Kyo and kneeled onto a cushion.

"Wait, let me clean your cuts and put the bandages on you." she pleaded as he continued trying to get up. Nothing worked until she threw her hands out to his arm and tried to tug it back down to her, "Kyoooo!" she pleaded.

_She sounds so worried...So worried about me. I hate looking so weak in front of her like this._

"Kyo? Please, sit down so I can help you!"

_So you can help me. Hah. The only way you can help me is by returning my feelings for you._

"Come on. The sooner I clean your cuts, the better!"

_The sooner you clean my cuts, the better? That's something like what I keep telling myself. The sooner I tell you how much I love you, the better… but I can never get myself to do it._

More thoughts went through his mind until a stinging pain caused him to flinch. Quickly, he looked to his arm and saw Tohru gliding an alcohol wipe over some of the cuts. It was then that he registered the feel of her gently grip on his arm as she worked. _You might not feel for me like I do for you… but it's still good you care for me at all._ Kyo thought to myself with a dazed smile.

The small jolt caused Tohru to gasp and she paused and looked up to Kyo. "Are you okay? If it hurts too much, tell me…I'll stop." She said to him with worry but determination flaring in her eyes. He just smiled even more and shook his head, "It's alright. You can continue and…thanks." Kyo said, whispering to her the last word. It just made her giggle and nod, then she was back to opening a new packet of wipes.

By now, Kyo was all patched up and sitting down while Tohru left to return the first-aid kit. Having the alone time, he searched the room for Shinta it became comforting clear that he wasn't in the room. It was out of revenge seeking and even a little bit of paranoia though he would die before admitting it. Pushing a hand through his hair, he looked up as Tohru came back.

"Alright. Sorry if I took long." She apologized and sat down in front of Kyo. She looked over the pale bandages that coiled around his tan arms and hands, "What happened? Shinta…looked like he freaked out and attacked you." To Kyo, it was the ultimate question since eve he didn't know what caused it. He just shrugged back and tried to avoid looking right at her, heat starting to form on his face in the form of a blush.

Seeing the discomfort in his face, Tohru sighed but then smiled. "It's okay." She said, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

As nice as it sounded, she had it all wrong. _If she only knew._ Kyo told himself with a bit of a mental chuckle. After that, everything hushed into perfect peace until he felt like he had to talk about it…and besides, maybe it would help find out what caused Shinta to get so agitated.

"You know…really, I don't know why he scratched me and stuff." Kyo began and threw up his hand and let it fall carelessly.

"It's alright. He might have been nervous… that was the first time someone else has held him like that." Tohru shrugged. Her words did make sense though…or maybe it was something more like how two cats stare at each other and abruptly break into fights. Could it really be a cat thing?

_Maybe Shinta just plain hates me… like how I hate him. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case._

Getting from his thoughts, he shrugged back. "Maybe. Cats are kind of territorial anyway so he may have felt threatened by me or something. I don't know but things should… get better."

_We can share the house and stuff, I guess… I don't mind but what we can't share is you, Tohru. I'm not letting anyone bask in your love._

The brunette just nodded and then stood up. "Well, I should start cooking. I'm sure the others are getting hungry." She said and then made her way out of the room. When she got a few steps out the door, she paused and began talking to someone. Kyo couldn't see who it was but just tried to listen to their conversation.

Seconds after that, Yuki came and paused to look down at Kyo. "Someone's not taking care of themselves, I see." He said with his arms crossed as he walked closer to the bandaged Sohma. Kyo quickly glance up with his teeth clenched together. "Shut it. Shinta did this anyway." He explained as he looked down to the scattered bandages, "It's all his fault. Thinks he can come in here and…and take my Tohru!"

_Oh, fuck! Did…did I just say…what I think I said?_

Almost instantly, he looked up to Yuki who sat down and smiled at him. "I knew it." He simply said as Kyo frowned. "No! You got it all wrong." He pleaded though the other ignored him. When it became a bit too much, he put up his hand for the other to stop, "It's alright. I knew for a while now…hearing it from you just verifies it."

"What? You knew? That Shigure! I-"

"No." Yuki interrupted, his voice slightly raised, which made Kyo stop on a dime. "Shigure told me nothing. I just figured it out myself. Besides…you don't take me for a fool, do you?"

Kyo didn't respond and Yuki just waited until he sighed. "You know, now I wonder why I even asked that question. Anyway. So, Shigure knows about your crush on Tohru?" he asked and watched as the other reddened to the words. Slowly, he nodded, "Yeah. He even gave me advice."

"Oh, Lord. Shigure gave you advice on this? What did that pervert say?" Yuki asked with an odd mix of curiosity and disgust. Kyo just shrugged and explained, "Well…he said to tell her straight out of if it doesn't work, to try to persuade her by taking her an-" but then got cut off when Yuki threw a hand in front of his face. "Alright, alright. That's something I'd expect from him…and something I know won't work." He said with a sigh.

Dropping one of his hands on the other's shoulder, Yuki leaned forward as if he was telling a secret. "If you really want to tell her how you feel, you need to go slow and don't rush." He said and Kyo stared forward. Blinking a few times, he looked at the rat Sohma, "Are you honestly giving me advice?" he asked in slight shock. He just nodded and then shrugged; "Besides…I think you need it." Kyo growled, "Hey!" he said and Yuki laughed. "I'm serious about this though. Forget all about what Shigure said, alright?" he asked in a whisper and Kyo slowly nodded. After that, the two exchanged whispers and nods as the smell of food rolled out from the kitchen.

--

**Ack, I'm sorry but I had to add the bloody drama. Hm...I guess you can say this chapter officially starts the war. Yesterday, I was fiddling with my profile and I added two ways to get in contact with me and I might add more. Also, there's somewhat like a journal there that keeps track of things. Putting this reminder about them since for the next few days, things will be busy. I'm not sure when I'll be able to put up the next chapter but I'll try to make it as quick as possible. Hugs to all.**


	4. Bathroom Chaos

**So sorry about not posting this new chapter in a while. I made this one extra long though so it's partically why it took a while to get out. Even after all these days of not updating, Fruits Basket still doesn't belong to me. Thanks to Whtdu, Xxlelouchxx, Animeboylover, KyoxSakiFan, German Mickey, Black anime fan, KairiBlossom07 and Sonozakisisters.**

**_Responses To Reviews..._**

**_Xxlelouchxx:_ Thanks so much. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**_Animeboylover:_ Gasp! I think you've been spying on me. This chapter is something like that. Kyo can understand Shinta and the other way around though the others can't. Muahaha, fear the kitty power. Nah, you're not a freak. Sometimes, you'll need an imagination like that...like those times you're in math class and you have to make due with like an eraser and random papers someone put in the desk or something.**

**_KyoxSakiFan:_ Hm, another person finds this funny. I was going to put it for the humor section but then I saw drama. I knew the humor would follow me though. Glad you liked the chapter and hope you like this one!**

**_Black anime fan: _Thanks and explosions are funny. They rock.**

**_KairiBlossom07:_ Yay, thanks so much. Hm, I was hoping I got Kyo's personality down good. Isn't Shinta a nice name? Aw, that's so cute. I consider lamb plushies to be rare... it's something that I never see...yes, I have never seen a plushie lamb.**

**_Sonozakisisters:_ The name was suggested to me by Kyo-Honda. I picked it since it seemed different...well, to me anyway. **

Scents of a good lunch continued to travel from the kitchen and into the other rooms of the house. As it entered the main room, the two whispering Sohmas continued their private conversation. "Alright?" Yuki asked, patted his hands to his thighs. The other nodded but slowly as if unsure, "I guess. This stuff is easier said than done, you know."

Just as he finished speaking, he stood up and then continued to talk. "It smells like lunch is finished." He simply said but then paused to look down at Yuki. "And…thanks." He whispered and left to the kitchen with the silver haired Sohma behind him. As they got into the hallway, Kyo stopped and Yuki ran into him.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked, leaning to the side to see what was in front of Kyo. He didn't say anything but pointed to something in front of him. Looking forward, he slowly nodded when he saw Shinta. The cat's body seemed slightly bigger but then it may have been from how he was posed. His bright blue eyes somehow felt threatening, even if they were a soft color. The hall was silent until Yuki picked up what sounded like a growl rippling from the cat.

_Damn! It's that Shinta._ Kyo began to mentally swear. The air around the three seemed to have grown tense like when he was holding the dark-fured cat. Almost instantly, Yuki looked from Kyo and then back to Shinta. "Oh, no, no, no." he said as he shook in head. Unlike Tohru who seemed oblivious to most tense moments, he knew what was going on and what would go on if nothing was done.

Without another word, he took Kyo's wrist and dragged him to the kitchen. As he past Shinta, Kyo glared into the deadly blue eyes that stared daggers at him. Taking a few steps apart, Yuki heard a hiss and then a, "Oh, fuck you, Buddy!" which made him stop in his tracks.

Sighing, Yuki let go of Kyo and looked at him with somewhat of a worried expression. "What is going on between you two? This is getting way out of hand!" he said with a slight toss of his hands. When he noticed that Kyo wasn't even paying attention to him, his shoulders dropped and just sighed again. As the redhead had a glaring match with Shinta, he pointed his middle and pointer fingers to his eyes and then pointed them to the black cat. With a smirk, he then mouthed out, "Watching you…" A groan sounded from Yuki and he grabbed Kyo by the back of the shirt with a frown. "Come on." He said as he dragged him into the kitchen area.

Upon entering the kitchen, Tohru looked at the two and smiled. "Hi." She said as she waved to them, "The food is almost finished cooking. Smells good, huh?" The two boys nodded and went to see what she was making. On the stove to see what she was making. On the oven was a pot filled with that looked like soup. Hearing a giggle, they saw Tohru who was watching them. "I said that it's almost done." She laughed when she saw how eager they were.

Not long after that, lunch was finished cooking and everyone was eating. "This soup is really good, Tohru." Shigure commented as he swirled the soup with his spoon. Beside him was Kyo who just stared into the soup with a frown. Carefully, he nudged the frowning Sohma and smirked to him. At times like these, Shigure couldn't help but rattle Kyo up. "Hey, Kyo, if she can make soup good, what else do you think she can do good?" he asked quietly, his voice un-even since he was trying not to break into laughter. All he got in return was a glare and a huff.

While they ate, Shinta came into the room, his nose in the air as he followed the smell of food. He wandered deeper into the room but then stopped when he heard the others eating. "Aw! Hi, Shinta!" Tohru cheered as she reached out to pet the cat. As her hand ran down the smooth fur, his eyes closed as if savoring the affection. "Are you hungry?" she asked as she continued to pet Shinta but then stopped with a gasp, "Oh, wait. We have no cat food!"

Leaving her bowl, she stood up to leave and get the pet food when Yuki looked up to the panicking girl. "Tohru? Aren't you going to finish eating?" he asked, moving his head to keep her in his line of sight as she rushed for the doorway. Getting there, she stopped and just looked over her shoulder. "It's alright. I'll eat it when I get back. Shinta's probably hungry!"

Not even a word later and the only female of the house left the room. "Why does she do that?!" Kyo whined once she left with his hands in the air but the others just smirked to him. They both knew that he'd complain after seeing something like that. He just ignored the two and continued his complaining. "This is all your fault!" he exclaimed with a point to Shinta, who hissed in response. "Don't hiss at me!" he said back and eventually it turned into some type of twisted argument.

Eventually, the two quieted down until another threatening hum sounded from Shinta and the argument was back on. It was then that Yuki had one of those hand-to-face moments and then pulled Kyo back from making the fight into a physical one. "No, you're not." He said as he pulled the other down. Falling down into a sitting position, he ignored the rat Sohma and glared at the black cat.

As he glared, Shinta just wandered the room and eventually left before facing Kyo and making a very slight nose twitch. "Hey! If anyone's the fucking moron, it's you!" he yelled as he pointed to the cat as he left. The other two just watched and Shigure sighed with a shake of the head, "Hah. Cats…" he whispered.

The rest of the lunch went by well and Tohru returned with a bag of cat food. Quickly, she filled up a bowl of food for Shinta and went back to eating her soup. With Shinta eating in the kitchen and everyone else in the living room, Kyo actually felt happy. It gave him time to be with Tohru and to plan some good revenge on Shinta.

"Hey, Tohru? Why…why did you get Shinta?" he asked the girl. It's been one he wondered for a while now but never bothered to ask until now. "So you could be happy. I figured that you might not like being the only cat in the house…and I thought it would make you feel better in general." She explained but then stopped. Looking at the redhead, she took her turn to ask a question. "Why? I know you and Shinta aren't exactly friendly with each other…but just give it time!"

_So__.. she got Shinta so I could feel better? Well isn't this ironic!_

Kyo just shrugged but then smiled, "I guess." And then it was when a thought came to him. Leaning forward, he asked, "You think I can give Shinta a bath?" and Tohru thought about it. When the question was asked, Yuki and Shigure looked at each other with a question expression but then shrugged together.

"Sure. You can wash him tomorrow." Tohru finally answered with her trademark smile and stood up while gathering the plates. "Thanks for doing it." She said before leaving into the kitchen with the bowls, silverware and anything else that she took. Waiting a few seconds, Shigure finally voiced the question he and Yuki were wondering, "Why would you give Shinta a bath?"

He didn't even get an answer yet but seeing the smirk from Kyo's features was all he needed. Yuki said nothing but just sighed as Shigure questioned, "This isn't some type of revenge, is it?" and then wondered why he even asked the question. Kyo shook his head, which made the two lean closer to him in curiosity but then spoke up. "No. This isn't 'some type of revenge', it's MY revenge!"

By now, the sky was a heavy dark blue but held a glowing half moon that was partially hidden in the trees. In the house, everyone was getting their before bed duties completed. It was then that thoughts hit Kyo as he finished getting dressed from a cold shower to fight the summer heat. _Our first night with Shinta with us…can't wait to give that bastard a bath. I bet that pansy hates getting wet. A bath would be perfect revenge. Mess with me and take my Tohru away._

Her name made him stop and stare sadly at the floor of the bathroom. Slowly, he pulled the shower curtain closed and opened the door to leave. The small walk helped clear his mind of the issues and back to some usual thoughts. _It feels like it's going to be a warm night. Probably camp outside or on the roof or something._

Not long afterwards, the male was outside and looked around as if inspecting the area to see if it was fit to sleep there for the night. His searching was cut short when he heard a female voice call for him. "Kyo?" it asked out in a combination of worry and curiosity. Slowly, he turned and saw Tohru in the doorway of the house. The girl didn't move but just stood there, watching him with a small frown on her delicate face.

"Where are you going?" Tohru asked when he didn't respond to her previous question.

Kyo just stared back and then took a few steps to her. "Just looking around." He said with a shrug towards the end. There was a silence that past by and then he continued, "I'm thinking about sleeping out here for the night. It's going to be a warm one."

Tohru nodded and then smiled, "Oh, okay. Hey! Why don't you sleep out here with Shinta?" She meant well and Kyo knew but the suggestion really didn't work for him and he instantly frowned. He didn't even have to say anything until she knew he disagreed with what she said. "Where is Shinta anyway?" he asked and then wondered if he'd be able to get any sleep for the night with the cat wandering around.

"He's inside." She said with a point back into the house, "Shinta's going to be sleeping in my bed. You should see him. He balls up so tight and all you see is a black ball and two blue eyes." The explanation made her giggle but Kyo fell silent once she said that. _He's…SLEEPING WITH TOHRU?! NO! THAT FUCKIN- _

"Kyo?"

The small voice made him flinch and look to Tohru who was now frowning. "You kind of went into a daze." She said but Kyo just waved his hand. "It's nothing." He explained vaguely but it was enough for the girl since she nodded and then went into the house after saying her farewell.

After the door was closed, Kyo stared to it as he replayed what had just happened. A few moments later, he began his mini journey to the roof of the house and stared up to the sky. _I'm not letting this happen._ He thought to himself with a determined shine in his eyes as he looked into the pale yellow moon.

More thinking was done until he fell asleep with the last thought of his beloved Tohru.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on his cheeks, Kyo slowly opened his eyes and stretched his arms into the air. He yawned lazily and then began to rub his eyes from his sleep while looking at the sky. It was sunny with just about no clouds that smudged the light blue color of the sky. The weather had been like that for the past few days and Kyo knew they were past due for at least a rain storm or something.

Running a tanned hand through his red hair, he felt it was as warm as his cheeks from the glowing sun. Another lazy yawn was heard and he began to slowly get off the roof. Landing onto the ground, Kyo started to the door and entered the house. Everyone else was awake but there was no smell of breakfast, though Kyo didn't mind since he wasn't really hungry.

Going into the main room, he saw it was empty but then heard footsteps that was coming towards him. Looking up, he saw Tohru enter the room in her summer pajamas.

"Hey." He greeted to her but shyly, "How are you?"

The brunette smiled and stepped closer to the redhead. "I'm fine. It's been sunny like this for so long. Don't you think it's bound to rain?"

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking." Kyo replied and took a small step from her since he began to mentally panic on how close she was to him.

Tohru nodded and then looked up so her eyes were locked to Kyo but only for seconds until he looked to the floor. "Are you hungry? Should I start on breakfast?" she asked but he just shook his head. Taking a quick look around the room, he saw how they were the only ones in the room. "So…" he started but then paused to take a deep breath, "What are we going to be doing today?"

Though the question was asked a bit quickly, the other managed to hear and understand. She just shrugged and then began to list some things, "I don't know. You wanted to give Shinta a bath, I don't think we need to go out shopping for anything… unless you want to go out somewhere for the day!" Just hearing the last few words, Kyo almost blushed though he didn't.

"Uh…well…if you want to, I guess." He said, trying not to stutter too much but say he was failing miserably. Thankfully, Tohru just giggled and then threw in a suggestion, "Oh, why don't we have a picnic?"

The idea was a very good one and the Sohma nodded with a small smile. _Good. __Making progress._As the two continued to talk about the idea, Yuki and Shigure came into the room and managed to catch a piece of the conversation. Quickly, Tohru twirled to the two and clapped her hands together. "Can we have a picnic?" she asked and the others said nothing as if thinking.

"I think that would be nice." Yuki spoke up and then Shigure nodded in agreement. "It would. Uh…how about this afternoon at the park? We can have a picnic there for lunch." The silver haired Sohma suggested and got approvals from the rest.

Seeing how the plans for the picnic would become reality in just a few hours, Kyo mentally cheered. _Alright! __A picnic with Tohru and no stupid Shinta.__ During the picnic, I'll put Yuki's advice to work. Just watch, Tohru, you'll see how much I love you. _

When the planning was done, Tohru left the room to get started on cooking breakfast. Taking the time to their advantage, Yuki and Shigure began to talk with Kyo. They were now in their usual positions on the cushions and talked. "How are things going?" Yuki asked and the redhead already knew what he meant. Sighing, he put his chin into his palm as his elbow rested on the table, "I guess its okay. During the picnic, I'll take another step."

The dog Sohma glanced at Yuki and then tilted his head but with a smirk. "Wow. So Yuki knows, too? Be careful, Kyo. Anymore and then it'll be on the news." He teased with a shaking finger to him. He just glared and ignored the wagging finger while crossing his arms. "Just be quiet. I'll get this issue solved." He said confidently.

He would have said more but then Tohru's voice stretched into the room. "Breakfast is finished. I just made pancakes, eggs and toast. I hope its okay." Hearing that, Shigure laughing to himself, "Wow. Tohru's such a nice girl…wouldn't you say?" in a teasing tone. In return, he just got a warning glare and growl from Kyo and then laughed some more.

Everyone went into the kitchen to get their food and then returned to the main room to eat. Talk went around of the picnic and then Kyo got reminded of something. Running his fork across his plate to take up some eggs, he asked, "Hey. After this, I'll wash Shinta." And the only female of the house nodded her head. "It's great that you want to wash him so much. I bet you two will get along great." She said to him. Not bothering to join in, Shigure and Yuki looked to each other with a bit of a frown since she only knew half the story.

The small breakfast was finished and Tohru left to wash the dishes. With her out of the room, Kyo smirked to himself but heard Yuki speak to him. "Are you honestly going to do this?" he asked but then he said nothing, which was all Yuki needed for an answer. Sighing, he shook his head.

"I'll be fine. Just going to teach him a lesson." Kyo explained and left to find Shinta.

Searching had been done but no sign of the black cat. Minutes later and more searching did nothing to help and then he figured that Shinta would somewhere he hadn't looked and probably never would. _Maybe in __Tohru's__ room._

Slowly, Kyo got to the door of her bedroom and stared at it. He knew she wasn't there but for some reason, he felt like knocking. It may have been since he had never been in her room and because of his huge crush on the girl, he felt awkward even looking at the door. _She's not there so it's alright. I'll just take a peek in and look around real quick._

Pulling the door open just a bit, his bright eyes peeked into the room and saw how bright and decorated the bedroom was. The door was moved some more until it was fully open and he jumped inside. Turning around in a full circle to look around, Kyo took in the appearance of the room.

The bed had a thin white blanket in the corner of the room and the top half of the bed was covered with plushies and even a few pillows that matched the blanket. The walls were painted a pale pink that went with the pink lamp that was on the other side of the room. Near the lamp was a wooden dresser but on top of it was what really caught his attention. Littering the top of the dresser were pictures in various frames. Somewhere of Tohru, her friends and even them together. Getting closer to the pictures, he took a closer look at them and smiled when he saw one of himself and Tohru. Suddenly, he had the urge to just pick up the frame and just hold it for hours. Kyo just turned from the dresser as if it would help fight the urge and saw her desk. There were more pictures where but also books, writing supplies and other things. Near the wall was a litter box for Shinta with the scooper leaving in the corner of it.

It then hit Kyo that he was spending more time in the bedroom then he planned and having Tohru walk in on him was something he really didn't want. Getting back to what he was there for, he began to search for Shinta and found him by the door. He seemed frozen on the spot and glaring at Kyo as if waiting for him to leave.

"There you are!" he said as he starts towards him. The closer that he got, the more Shinta tried to get away from him. Eventually, there was no place for the cat to go and Kyo swiped him up from the wooden floor. The two was quiet until Shinta's growls and hums began to sound as he twitched every once in a while to break the hold the Sohma had on him.

As he did this, Kyo hurried into the bathroom and once he got there, he threw the cat into the bathtub before he could lose his temper. "I got you now." He whispered as he closed the door. Turning away from it, he saw Shinta staring at him from the bathtub. Kyo's scratches had healed from before and all that were left were scabs but he was carefully not to get scratched like that again. Slowly, he reached to turn on the water to the bathtub without taking his eyes from Shinta.

Having the water running made the cat seem even more annoyed and it showed it though even more menacing hums. "Shut up and take the stupid bath." Kyo whined back as he looked for something to wash the cat with. He looked through the soap that they had and then through the random shampoos there. Shrugging to himself, he took up a random bottle and turned to Shinta. As he set it on the counter, he began to talk to the cat. "Heh. I'll be damned if you take a bath using my shampoo so you'll have to settle for this… not that I'd care what you think." He said with a smirk towards the end.

Eventually, the white bathtub got filled to a shallow amount and Shinta began to shake his soaked paws. The act of discomfort was enough for Kyo to watch with sadistic enjoyment. "Get over here." He ordered as he grabbed the fidgeting cat so he could rinse the black animal. It hissed back and then backed away from him. Sighing, Kyo began to tug off his shirt, "Alright. Time to get serious then." When he was finished, he balled up the thin summer shirt and let it drop to his feet on the floor.

"I said to get over here." Kyo repeated as he swiftly picked up the cat and held it under the running water to get its fur wet. As soon as the water made contact with the fur, Shinta monstrously growled out but it didn't stop the determined Sohma. Once that part was done, he let go off the cat and watched it run to the door but have no luck in leaving since it was closed.

If anything, this was going to be the hard part since Kyo would have to get a hold on Shinta and put the shampoo on him. Sighing, he opened the bottle and put a wad of the vanilla scented shampoo into the palm of his hand and then closed it again. Not even saying a word, he went up to the shivering cat and then ran his palm across his fur, the shampoo brushing off onto it. Having his coat heavy with the shampoo, baby blue eyes widened as he made a dash to get away from Kyo though he followed.

"Rahhh, get back herrrrre!" he ordered as he followed the cat back towards the bathtub. Quickly, he leaned forward and grabbed Shinta with one hand and worked the shampoo into the fur with the other. The motion only made it work as he tried to twist from his grasp and succeeded but only for a few moments until Kyo clumsily but quickly pulled the cat to him. All of this caused the two to fall into the bathtub that was now filled with even more water.

Falling under the water, Kyo coughed when he couldn't breathe and sat up. As he broke the surface of the water, he gasped and continued to cough while Shinta made a break to get out of the bathtub. "No you don't!" he yelled, grabbing the cat again and dragging him into the water.

Out in the hallway Tohru past the bathroom door and heard the commotion. Knocking, she put her hear to the door. "Kyo? Are you okay?" she asked, her eyebrows bent into a worried expression. She waited for a good amount of time until opening the door and gasping in shock.

"I don't give a damn if you think the shampoo smells ba-" Kyo whined but then stopped when he noticed Tohru was in the doorway staring.

The bathroom had water all over the floor, Kyo's soaked shirt was balled up on it with an open bottle of shampoo that was tipped over beside it. The water for the bathtub was still running and in it was a shirtless Kyo holding a soaked Shinta. The Sohma's hair was dark with water and shampoo that ran down his neck and back. A thin trail even ran down his forehead and to his nose. His dark pants were even darker and clung to his legs with splattered shampoo like bubbles. Shinta looked like a mess, his black fur sticking to his body, dripping with water and bubbles from the vanilla shampoo.

"To-Tohru!"

"K-Kyo!"

The names were shouted at the same type and awkward silence fell over the bathroom. "OhmygoodnessI'msosorry!" Tohru said quickly as if it was all one word and rushed out of the bathroom. _Did...did that really just happen?_ Kyo wondered as he stared at the doorway even though the brunette girl was gone. Taking advantage, Shinta twisted from the redhead's hold and fell into the water. In seconds, the cat was out of the room, water being left behind like a trail.

**I was trying not to laugh when I was typing the little part about Tohru walking in on Kyo and Shinta. For some reason, I find it funny when I try to imagine it...I think it's because I watch too much T.V./soap operas. The next chapter should be up soon. Hugs to all!**


	5. One Step Up The Mountain

**Woo. Finally, a new chapter. I'm very sorry about the wait. School has come in full force and regents are coming up. Funny how a simple exam can decide if you can move on with your high school classes or are doomed to repeat it. Anyway, that's another story! Hm, here's chapter five!**

**Random Warnings: Cursing but then I'm sure you all know this by now. Hm, also...killer veggie boxes. **

**Great thanks to KyoxSakiFan, keyword paramore, DMHPluv, Sa'a (), Felineneco, KairiBlossom07, BlondieBubbles, Konan-Akatsuki, curlyangel, Anime Wildfire, WingedPrincess15, imcalledkitty, Funday111, CapricornGurl, animeboylover, and starlight-set me free-**

**_KyoxSakiFan: _Yeah. I would be soo embarrased, too!**

**_keyword paramore:_ Woot. Thanks for your awesome words. Nah, it didn't sound weird.**

**_DMPHluv:_ Thanks and I have to agree. Kyo can be so overprotective and he gets funny when he gets jealous.**

**_Sa'a ():_ Tee hee, hm. Happy you liked that part! I'm thinking about changing the drama genre to a humor one.**

**_KairiBlossom07: _Yay, glad to see you liked it. Heh. I honestly do that to my cats so I randomly passed it onto Kyo. Bath and Body Works, hm? Okay. I'll keep it in mind.**

**_Funday111:_ Another person finds it funny. I'm happy about it though. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

**_CapricornGurl: _I can't give you a solid answer but this chapter should help answer the question at least a little. Kyo's on the move!**

**_animeboylover:_ Kyo will eventually tell Tohru about his crush on her...if he could bring himself to do it. Shinta is just to get in the way and cause Hell for Kyo.**

-

Now being alone in the bathroom, Kyo growled out an array of curses and then turned off the water to the bathtub. _That damned Shinta…couldn't just take the God damn bath! I don't believe that just happened…Tohru seeing me like that. _He began to think as he stepped from the bathtub and onto the floor. It felt kind of awkward for him since his pants were soaked and sticking to his legs but he managed to slowly make his way out and to his shirt and bottle of shampoo. "Fuck!" he cursed again as he picked up the bottle and saw some of the shampoo had spilled out since it was open.

With his other hand, he picked up his shirt but frowned when he felt how heavy it was with water. Kyo sighed as he put back the shampoo and tossed his shirt into the hamper. After that, he took some toilet paper and cleaned up the soap that was near where his shirt had been. When that was finished and the toilet paper tossed into the trash, he sighed again.

"Damn these pants." He whined as he picked at the wet material that clung to him. Making an annoyed sound, he cleaned his hair of the soap and then dried it messily. Going to the doorway, he leaned out into the hall and looked around. When he saw no one, he made the mad dash to his room before anyone could see him in his half-naked-tight-wet-pants glory.

Finally, he got to his room and leaped inside, landing on the wooden floor with a grunt. Still in quick pace, Kyo got up and closed the door. Turning his back to the door, he scanned his room for his dresser and started to it. The room was a bit on the messy side but Kyo didn't mind. He never really spent much time there anyway. Getting to the wooden dresser, he pulled one of the draws and took up a black shirt from a pile. He didn't even bother to look at it before tossing it over his shoulder and closing the draw closed.

As soon as that was done, he took a step back and began to pull the shirt on. Being part of the way finished with the problem, Kyo sighed and then looked down to his pants. Crouching down, which he found to be quite awkward, he opened another draw and took out a new pair of house pants. Like with his shirt, he tossed it over his shoulder and closed the dresser. Standing up, he peeled off the wet clothing and replaced it with a dry pair of pants. Lazily, he tossed the wet pair of pants to the floor and began walking to the door.

Getting out into the hall, he closed his door and then continued down it. As he did this, he began to remember how the bathroom looked like such a mess. Kyo was easily going to just get to it when he felt like it until he thought about Tohru seeing it. _Wait…if Tohru sees it, she'll clean it up. I can't let her do that…not after what she saw when I was washing Shinta__ and knowing it was __all my__ fault__. Fuck, I'll have to do it now._

"Man! I hate cleaning!" Kyo declared as he finally got a mop and dragged it into the bathroom.

The only good thing about it was that the water could be mopped up quickly, which Kyo did and then fixed up anything else. Once it was all done, he returned the mop and sighed from all the action that had happened so early in the day. _And to think that its only morning…huh, that reminds me…I almost forgot about the picnic._

With that thought, he curiously started to make his way to the living room. From what he could hear, three people were there which most likely Yuki, Tohru and Shigure. Entering the room, Kyo immediately got dragged into whatever conversation that they was having. "What food should we prepare for the picnic?" Yuki asked when he saw the Sohma.

Kyo just thought for a moment and then shrugged, "I don't know. Anything, I guess." It wasn't really like a lie either since all he was really looking forward and thinking about was being able to spend time with Tohru. Things like food didn't even cross his mind so he didn't care. After his words were tossed into the conversation, Yuki continued to talk. "Okay. I think we should bring some iced tea since its summer and pretty warm." He suggested as he looked to the others for their opinions. Everyone agreed and then Tohru threw up a hand, "We should make sandwiches and salads. Then…something yummy for dessert."

"That's a good idea. Maybe we should bring some cookies for dessert." Yuki replied and watched them nod. Shigure hadn't said anything but his mind was going with thoughts on their plans for a picnic. "Heh, imagine all the girls that'll be there!" he whispered to himself and put a hand over his mouth to hide a smirk. After that, everything was planned and then Tohru stood up. "We should start getting everything ready." She said and then left into the kitchen.

The main room went into silence and then Shigure looked to Kyo. Taking his hand from his mouth, his smirk was still there but for a whole new reason. "Why not go help her, Kyo?" he asked, leaning forward a little. Kyo didn't say anything but then got what he was hinting at. Even after that, he didn't say anything but then slowly got up. He whispered something to himself and then left into the kitchen to see Tohru gathering the plastic cups, plates and dining ware that they had before they met Tohru and ate take-out almost every day.

Looking to the redhead, Tohru just smiled and then continued gathering the supplies. Kyo just watched but frowned to see that she was creating a pile of the supplies on the counter. "Don't you think you should put that in a bag and not into a pile?" he asked in a teasing tone to hide his worry for the girl. The brunette paused and looked at the pile, then to Kyo, "I guess you're right. I was going to get a bag afterwards though."

The Sohma sighed and got a bag to put everything in. Holding it open, he began to place the plastic cups into it. "Oh, you don't have to help." She cried out when she saw what the boy was doing. Kyo didn't say anything and tried not to smile at how caring she was to him. It was a losing battle though and eventually, he was showing off a small smile. "Nah, it's alright." He said and held out the bag so she could put in some foam plates.

This went on and then Tohru made the small walk to the refrigerator. "Do we have ice for the iced tea?" she asked out loud but mainly to herself. Kyo just shrugged and watched her open the freezer door. Seconds after that, her eyes scanned for the ice tray and gasped when a box of frozen vegetables slid out of the freezer like a slay and fly towards her. Tohru was frozen from the shock but vaguely felt as if something had been holding her. It was all a blur but then stopped with the sound of something hitting the floor.

Again, Tohru gasped and looked around to see what happened. On the floor was a box of vegetables that looked like it was a frozen rectangular rock. Around it was shattered ice that was melting into water. Looking away from that, she felt arms around her though she didn't know who they belonged to. Feeling someone holding her from behind, she twisted around to look over her shoulder.

Seeing the red face of Kyo, everything paused again.

"Uh, I'm… I'm sorry!" Kyo stuttered and quickly let go of Tohru as he took a step from the shock girl. She didn't say anything and looked back at the box of vegetables. "I almost got hit by that. Thank you so much!" Tohru finally said as her hands were thrown into the air. Watching her like that was enough to make Kyo's heart melt but he managed to hide it from the unknowing brunette…until he remembered what it felt like to hold her and had an urge to touch the girl again.

_Dammit!_ Kyo mentally swore when the urge continued to built and let it out when a simple pat on her head. Instantly, Tohru stopped and looked up to the Sohma, her expression blank with confusion to the random action. Looking to him, he saw him smirking as he spoke, "You know…someone should really keep an eye on you. You might end up getting hurt." But he then finished the rest in his thoughts. _And that someone should be me._

The girl just laughed and went to get the box of frozen vegetables to return to the freezer. After that, she peeked into the ice tray and smiled, "All right! There's ice!" From the little declaration, Tohru closed the door to the freezer and continued to get everything prepared. Soon afterwards, Yuki and Shigure came into the kitchen to help start on the food.

-

By now, everything was packed and ready to be taken to the park. As for the others, everyone was getting ready. The first to enter the main room was Yuki who began to look over everything in the bag, making sure nothing was forgotten. Not long after were Shigure and Kyo who entered the room and began to talk as they waited for Tohru.

"You said you were going to take another step during the picnic." Yuki reminded when he saw the redheaded Sohma. He nodded back, "I did…and I will." He said with a hand into a fist. Hearing the door glide open, they all looked to see Tohru. "Wow. You guys get ready fast." She said while taking steps to get further into the room. When she got to the table, she took up one of the bags and eventually, so did the others.

Watching the girl cross the room to get the bags, Kyo studied her and then found himself not breathing. Somewhere along looking at her pink tank top, denim skirt and sandals, he had stopped breathing. Getting back his breathing, he followed the others out of the house. After locking the door closed, Shigure dropped the keys into his pocket and then continued with everyone else to the park.

The walk wasn't a long one and they were there in just a matter of minutes. The afternoon heat was hot was ever and the park had a decent amount of people there. The small group walked into the grass and paused to look around. "This looks like a good spot." Yuki advised and then began to pay out the blanket onto the grass. Once that was finished, Tohru placed both of the bags on each side of the blanket and crawled onto it. Turning around, she sat on the blanket and began to take off her sandals so the blanket wouldn't get dirty.

"Let's eat." She said, putting her sandals aside and opened the bags. The other copied her movements and past around the foam plates, then the forks and so on. After that was the food and then everyone was eating.

"Can someone pass me a turkey sandwich?" Kyo asked with his hand pointed out to the bag. He had been lucky enough to sit beside Tohru but now he was slowly regretting it as the feeling of butterflies in his stomach wouldn't leave him. Tohru nodded and began to the sandwiches, reading the marked wrappings of each one. Putting back all but one, she gave Kyo the sandwich he had asked for.

Saying his thanks, he carefully took the food from her thin hands. So far, it was going well until the butterflies struck back which made him gulp. Like a train reaction, it caused him to let out a small shiver and then sweep a hand over Tohru's. The quick touch made his face glow pink and he could almost hear his heart beating in his ears. "Thanks." He quickly said, trying to sound as normal as possible and began to eat in a rush. The brunette just nodded and carried on with her salad.

Shigure sipped his iced tea as he watched the quick eating Kyo. "Anything you'd to say?" he asked Kyo in a low voice. The boy stood quiet and then remembered what he declared he'd do during the picnic but now…it felt like he'd die if he said anything. "I…Uh…" Kyo said back, his throat suddenly dry from when the memory hit him with full force.

In a hurry, he drank his iced tea but still didn't answer. The dark haired Sohma just watched it all and then laughed, "I see." He said, picking up part of his sandwich from his foam plate. _No, I have to do this! _Kyo persuaded in his mind as he stared down to his food that rested on his lap. _Wait, no. Don't rush. That's what Yuki said. Don't rush…take this slow._ He finished telling himself but then finding it all to seem like a mission and a half.

Nervously, he looked around for something to help him with. When his eyes landed on an ice vendor, it all clicked in his mind. Nodding to himself, he looked to the girl beside him. "Hey, look." Kyo pointed out with a twitch to the vendor's direction. Tohru's eyes slowly crept to the man's direction and smiled when she saw him. "Oh, ices!" she cheered and the others followed her eyes to the white cart.

Seeing how excited she saw, Kyo smiled at how it was working out. _Like a child._ He thought to himself as his eyes narrowed, cherishing how happy the brunette looked. "Come on." Kyo simply said, getting to his feet and lazily dipping his feet into his shoes. Tohru made a small noise of confusion and just watched the redhead's movements. Looking down to the confused girl, he repeated, "Come on." But with his with a wave of his hand, "Let's get an ice."

"Oh! Okay!" Tohru quickly replied, jumping up and putting on her sandals. Watching the two leave, the remaining Sohmas sighed. "Think he knows what he's doing?" Shigure asked as he slowly took some salad from the large bowl. Yuki just shrugged, "I don't know. I did give him some advice. If he stays calm and follows it, things should work out. Oh, he told me about the advice you gave him, Shigure, and I must say…save them for your novels, please."

Meanwhile, the other two stopped in front of the vendor and began to say what they wanted. The man nodded and opened one of the metal containers to begin scooping out the ice. Tohru just waited politely, watching the man drop chunks of cherry ice into a paper cup. It was decorated with colorful kites that reminded her of the kites she saw some kids with when she and the others had first entered the park. Her thoughts went on until she let her eyes wander to Kyo and saw he looked like he was in deep thought. Tohru said nothing, not wanting to mess with his train of thought and looked back to the vendor.

"Here you go, Miss." He finally said, holding out the paper cup with a mountain of cherry ice peeking out of it. Tohru smile but then frowned when she remembered she had brought no money with her. Her sad eyes dropped from the man to the cart, "I'm sorry…I forgot, I have no money with me." Watching her, Kyo also frowned and remembered how excited she was to go and get one. Changing his sight over to the vendor, he cleared his throat, "Don't worry about her. I'll pay for it." While digging into his pockets.

Tohru watched as he pulled out two quarters and gave them away. "No, Kyo, don't! You don't hav-" she spoke quickly but then stopped when he shoved the cherry ice to her. "Just take it." Kyo said in a tough tone and felt the girl slowly remove the cup from his grasp. She whispered her thanks and began to eat it. Saying their thanks, they left and started to go back to where the others were.

Steps were taken in silence until Tohru looked over to Kyo. "Hey…Kyo? Why did you get me this ice? You didn't have to pay for it, you know." She said, turning her eyes forward. The Sohma didn't say anything but thought for a moment. _Okay, so far, so good. Yuki's advice is going good…but it's too hard. I'm getting these butterflies again._

"Eh, you just wanted it so much." Kyo finally replied and then ended his words with a shrug. He returned to his thoughts some more and then decided it would be now or never with the position they were in. Dropping a tan hand onto the girl's smooth shoulder, he questioned, "Hey, why don't we hang out like this more often?"

Tohru stared at Kyo but then smiled, "Sure! You know, we don't really get to much spend time together." As she spoke, the redhead stared at her lips that were as red as the ice that he had bought for her. The simple stare turned into a daze and then saw that they had stopped moving. Blinking, Kyo brought himself back to reality. "What?" he asked dumbly and Tohru giggled. Lowering the paper cup, she repeated, "I said that it would be fun."

Kyo nodded, giving his thoughts on what to say only a small piece of attention, "Yeah, it would. Besides…I like you, Tohru, and we don't get to talk much or anything."

Tohru smiled and also nodded, not even taking the hint from the Sohma, even if it was never meant to have been said. "You're right. I like you, too."

-

**Just noticed it's almost 1:30 am here but of course nothing ever sleeps so it doesn't matter. The joys of New York...but I know my ass is going to sleep, hm! Anyway, honestly...I'm thinking about changing the drama genre to a humor one. What do you guys think about it? The romance genre is here to stay but drama is the more minor one so I can stand changing it. Please, include it in a review, private message, anything. I've also made a resolution to try and update faster. Will I managed to hold onto it? Who knows! Hugs to all! **


	6. Laundry Love

**A new chapter! I'm kind of proud of myself about it since it's one of my resolutions. I admit, it's shorter than the previous ones but it's still something. I still don't own Fruits Basket... though it's somethin I should ask for my birthday. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. **

**Thanks to keyword paramore, CapricornGurl, KyokoHonda49, Funday111, KyoxSakiFan and curlyangel.**

**_keyword paramore: _Thanks and really? That's so cool. Thanks a lot. Happy that you like the story. It's going better than I planned.**

**_CapricornGurl:_ Yay. Thanks! Gasperoonies, you're so right. Something is going to happen... but something always does. breaks out band-aids for Kyo**

**_KyokoHonda49:_ First... awesome pen name. Okay. Had to let that out. Thanks. I think it's why we all love him. **

**_Funday111:_ Thanks and hope the chapter!**

**_KyoxSakiFan:_ Alright! I made a person type-less... sorta. Yay-ness!**

**_curlyangel:_ Yeah. That's just what I was thinking. Thanks for the advice. Oh, yeah! I'm so going to try my best to keep this resolution going!**

-

After the words were spoken, the two fell into a silence as they walked. For Tohru, it was a casual silence but it was a different case for Kyo. His eyes were lowered to the ground in front of him, his mind on overdrive. _She said she likes me! Wait… Tohru's so pure and innocent… I bet she says that she likes everyone._ He sadly wondered as he slowly slipped both of his hands into his pants pockets as he thought with a frown.

They eventually got back to the picnic site and sat back down on the blanket. Tohru balanced her ice on her plate as she took her sandals off again and put them onto the grass near her. It looked like the main food was finished and they were getting started on the dessert, cookies. "This picnic turned out to be fun." Yuki spoke up when the group grew quiet. Tohru nodded and then held out her ice as if it was a trophy, "Look what Kyo got me! Isn't it great? I actually forgot my money and he got it for me." Yuki and Shigure just nodded aware of why he had actually done it, unlike Tohru who thought it was some type of random act of kindness.

"I still think it would be fun to hang out together. Its summer so I want to make the most of it before school starts." Tohru continued as she brought the paper cup to her lips to eat some of the slowly shrinking red mountain. Hearing the brunette, Shigure smirked seeing that Kyo had really taken a step like he said. Nodding, the Sohma kept his smirk, "Really? Wow. Next thing I know, you'll be going out with my little Tohru, Kyo." He teased, leaning towards Tohru with a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Quickly, red eyes narrowed as Kyo shot back, "Be quiet! She isn't yours!" The declaration casted an awkward silence and the redhead slowly dropped a finger that was pointed to Shigure and then hurriedly looked around. Laughing soon neutralized everything and Kyo looked to see it was Tohru. Then she stopped, she sighed with a smile, "Wow. You guys are funny." As usual, the little hint flew a mile over her head but maybe it was a good thing for the cat Sohma.

_Stupid Shigure and his jokes._ Kyo thought to himself as he finished off his sandwich and moved on to a little dessert. _He's __probably trying__ to get me worked up and tell Tohru how I feel straight out. Knowing him, he's probably just looking for a show like this to watch. _As his thoughts increased, so did his pace of eating a few cookies that he had put onto his plate. Hearing his name, he dropped all thoughts and straightened his back. "You shouldn't eat so fast or you'll get sick." Tohru said with a shake of her finger. As she did this, Kyo watched with a smile. _Yeah, that's Tohru. _He mentally laughed but then agreed to eat slower.

The picnic came to an end and everyone collected their things. A whole new bag was created just for the garbage while leftovers and the blanket were put in another bag. While they were putting their shoes back on, Kyo watched the girl balance herself on one foot while the other was raised, aiming to be dropped into the sandal. "How'd you like the picnic?" he asked, trying to see how far he could get with small talk. Tohru was done with one foot and repeated her actions for the other foot. As she checked to see if they were on right, she smiled, "Of course. It was fun… something we should really do again."

Watching the two talked, Yuki and Shigure watched. "How cute, Kyo with my little Tohru." The dog Sohma sighed with his hands clapped together. The other just sighed while giving a slight shake of the head, "You really shouldn't say that she's yours, you know. You make it sound… wrong." The advice flew to uncaring ears as Shigure just carelessly shrugged. "Kyo should really tell Tohru how he feels about her. It's almost painful to see him struggling like this while she's so oblivious." The dark haired man sighed once again. Yuki didn't reply but he had to agree with Shigure.

Finally, Tohru was finished and rejoined Yuki and Shigure with Kyo beside her. She just nodded to them and the group wordlessly began to head back home.

-

Opening the door, Yuki entered and headed straight to the kitchen to anything in the sink or to save whatever was left over. "I should start on the laundry." Tohru quietly said to herself as she began to take off her sandals and rest them on the wooden floor. Kyo heard the whispered words and questioned, "Why? Can't you just do that tomorrow or something?" The brunette shook her head and then held out a thin finger. "Because if I leave it for tomorrow, I might not feel like doing it and it'll just grow and grow." She explained, lowering her finger when she was finished.

"Oh… I guess." Kyo shrugged and watched her leave the room to start on the laundry. Seeing her go, he suddenly felt out of place with nothing to do. _Should… I help her?_ He wondered to himself, staring at the door that she went through. Seconds ticked by and the Sohma decided to help the girl. In a quick pace, he left the room and began to search for her. _She's probably getting the hamper to collect the clothes to wash. _He planned and then went to the bathroom. Grabbing onto the doorframe when he got there, he frowned when Tohru wasn't there.

Turning around, Kyo quickly went to another part of the house. _Damn, where could she be?_ He wondered, turning a corner in a rush but gasped when he heard a startled cry. In a flash, he saw a mix of colors was a very confused. "Ugh, what happened?" he groaned out but then looked around to see what had happened. He was actually lying on top of something, a basket of clothing separating the two bodies. "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry!" the other person repeated and Kyo's eye widened when he found out the person was Tohru.

The discovery only made things worse as Kyo began to mentally panic. _No, no. This isn't happened. I AM NOT on top of her like this._ His thoughts rushed but then noticed the basket of clothing that was between them. _Oh, crap. If that moves and we touch… then…_ Kyo continued to think to himself. He tried so hard to move but with Tohru so close to him like that, it was probably one of the hardest things he's had to do. "I'm so sorry!" Tohru continued and began to sway in tune with her words, her voice getting more and more hysterical.

"No, it's okay!" Kyo quickly said, anything to make her be quiet and stop moving. _If I can't stand up, I can probably just roll onto the floor._ The feeling of the basket pushing onto him began to somewhat hurt but then he didn't even notice when he heard a tune of whistling. Hearing footsteps, he heard a, "Well, look at this!" _Oh, God, no. Not Shigure! _Kyo mentally begged and quickly tried to roll off the poor girl and basket of clothing. In mid roll, Shigure said quickly, "Let me help. I'll take that." And swiped the basket from Tohru's hands. _No this bastard didn't just-_ Kyo angrily thought to himself and paused when he saw smoke cloud his vision.

When it settled, he was on the floor facing the ceiling but in cat form. His shirt covered all but his head, his pants like a deflated balloon on the floor. "Dammit, Shigure!" Kyo yelled when it all loaded in his mind about what the dog Sohma had done. Slowly, Tohru sat up, rubbing her stomach where the basket had been shoved. "Thanks so much." She said to the now giggling Shigure. He just nodded and then left because he'd get attacked by Kyo. _Damn him!_ The redhead swore as he slowly walked out from under the shirt. Seeing the movement, Tohru looked down at the bright orange cat and gasped. "Kyo! I'm so sorry!" she said, a hand out to him.

"Don't worry about it. Just go do laundry…" Kyo sighed with his tail twitching, "I was going to help you but I guess I will after this." The brunette girl nodded and gathered the clothing. "Alright. Um… where should I leave your clothing for when you change back?" she asked, already gathering the clothing. The cat stood silent as if thinking. "You can leave it in the bathroom. When I turn back, I'll change there." He said and watched as she nodded and left to the bathroom.

Taking up a paw to his nose, Kyo closed his eyes. _This can't be happening._ Bringing the paw down to the smooth floor, he looked around the empty hall. "Nothing to really do but wait until I change back." He whispered to himself but then stopped as his ears twitched to a sound. Rolling his red eyes towards the noise, he frowned when he was met with blue eyes. "No time." He simply said to the black cat and began to leave the hallway. His strutting figure soon stopped when he heard a snort from behind him. _Just ignore him._ Kyo continued again and stopped when he saw that Shinta was now beside him.

The feeling of slight fear and adrenaline filled Kyo as he looked into the baby blue eyes. "I said no time, dammit." He repeated in a harsher tone and looked away from the black animal. Continuing his journey to another part of the house, Shinta took a swipe at his bright tail. "Look, bitch!" Kyo exploded, jumping to face the other cat, "I don't want to deal with your bullshit right n-" but stopped as he got tackled by Shinta.

Sounds of monsters fighting erupted in the hallway as a ball of orange and black rolled around on the floor. Scrapes of nails running across wood floor and clashes of nails hitting each other was flashing speed soon followed. The fight went on for minutes until a little blood was mixed into the fight. Shinta dragged a nail across Kyo's nose and his fur instantly darkened from it. _Fuck, why is it so far to fight like this?_ He wondered, pouncing Shinta and rolling around on the floor, back feet kicking like some type of kangaroo.

The fight was interrupted was smoke again but as soon as it cleared, the fight went on. Now back in human form, Kyo grinned and grabbed Shinta. "I got your ass now!" he laughed as a mess of black fur struggled to get away. Reality soon hit him and he instantly let go of Shinta. _Crap! I need to get my clothes back on!_ He mentally shouted remembering how he was naked and the possibility of someone seeing him being huge.

Jumping up, Kyo made his second mad dash that day to the bathroom. Not even thinking, he ran inside and closed the door. He was shaking slightly from what had happened but calmed down while he was getting dressed. Pulling the shirt over his head, it brushed across the scratched he had gotten from Shinta and grunted in pain. Looking into the mirror, he leaned forward and examined the injury. "Damn cat." He whispered as he began to leave the diagonally cut.

-

**I'm starting to make myself laugh for some reason with the little Yuki and Shigure parts. It's like Yuki is an angel while Shigure is the devil and they're both trying to give Kyo love advice. Does anyone know what I mean? Who would you follow? Anyway, this is all for now. Hugs to everyone!**


	7. Things Get A Little Personal

**Yay! Things are getting better and better. My grandparents called to talk from Oklahoma, I got a letter for some college classes and I got to update this story again! Hopefully the good will keeep on rolling. Now... back to the story... I don't own Fruits Basket, which is something we all know. Thanks to KyoxSakiFan, Kisa167, Love Inc., xxlelouchxx, CapricornGurl, angel2adevil78, Katsy17, Otaku-Rehab, curlyangel and alyhaly! **

**_KyoxSakiFan_: Yeah. I randomly wanted to throw that in for some reason and see how people would like it. Glad you liked it though.**

**_Kisa167_: Thanks so much. Enjoy.**

**_Love Inc._: That's great. Thanks a lot and isn't Shinta a nice name? I'm so glad it got suggested to me. I was never thinking of that name.**

**_xxlelouchxx_: Awesome that you like this story so much. Really? Aw, thanks. Enjoy the chapter.**

**_CapricornGurl_: Haha, isn't it? Sometimes I wonder where I get my weird ideas from. Yeah, I'd do the same about going with Yuki or Shigure.**

**_angel2devil78_: Thanks and no problem. Yay for Kyo.**

**_Katsy17_: Thanks for reviewing and letting me know!**

**_Otaku-Rehab_: You think Kyo should follow Shigure? If I was him, I wouldn't know who to follow. **

-

Now with a pale bandage running diagonally across his tan nose, Kyo glared into his reflection from the bathroom mirror. _That God damn Shinta… I gotta get myself some payback. _He said to himself in his thoughts as he looked down to his hands that were holding onto the white sink. Sighing, he let go but looked back into the mirror to the bandage. A few seconds of silence and staring went on, and then Kyo was out into the hallway.

As his feet beat down on the wooden floor, red eyes were on watch for a certain black cat. Not seeing Shinta was comforting for the red head as he got into another part of the house. "Tohru?" he called as he slowed down his pace to he wouldn't miss the girl. He didn't hear a reply and called again as he slowed his pace even more. Curiously looking around he heard someone called, "Right here!"

Following the sound of the little voice, Kyo found the girl with small piles of clothing. Looking down to them, he saw that she had separated them, darks and whites. "She already separated them." He whispered as he looked from the piles to Tohru. The brunette didn't hear his whisper and just leaned forward to the washing machine, her elbows on the top of it. Slowly, Tohru looked to Kyo and then gasped when she saw over his nose. She quickly put a hand out to it so it was hovering just about the bandage, "Kyo! What happened?"

_Crap, now she's worried as hell. _He mentally whined when her cried out words reached his ears. "It's nothing. When I turned into a cat… I… you know, never mind." Kyo began but stopped when he felt too embarrassed to tell the one girl he loved so much that he got scratched just because he got into a fight with Shinta. Tohru frowned but then sighed, "Are you sure? You can tell me but… if not, then alright." The Sohma didn't reply but watched as she looked way from his and rested her chin in her palm as her elbows were still on the washing machine.

A simple mew was enough to startle the two as they quickly looked to see Shinta staring up to them. "Shinta! How are you?" Tohru asked as if the cat could respond to her. Her tone was one where a person would talk to a small child or baby in, which Kyo frowned at. Though the black cat didn't spoke back, he just purred as he rubbed on the girl's shin. Moving away from her, he began towards Kyo but didn't touch him. Instead, he just stared up to him with his blue eyes seeming like a threatening ice color.

The eyes were met with red ones as Kyo glared back, not saying anything. "Hey. Why not say hello?" Tohru's voice broke in as she picked up Shinta and held him out to the redhead. There was an awkward moment as she held out the cat and Kyo watched as if Shinta was like a blood sucking monster. "No thanks." He simply said but then saw her pleading eyes. Sighing, he slowly reached for the cat when he heard demonic sounds coming from the cat.

Kyo quickly stepped back and ordered, "Tohru, put Shinta down." Anyone with common sense would know sounds like that meant nothing well but then this did involve Tohru and he was going to take no chances. The brunette looked to the Sohma and then to the black cat in her hands as if she was in disbelief about what was happening. "Shinta?" she asked with a shaky yet quiet voice but the cat only twitched to her question.

"Tohru! I said to put him down!"

Again, the order went out but Tohru stood in disbelief. In a swift display, Shinta boomed with one last demonic noise and scratched at the girl. Instantly, she screamed out, dropping the cat and watched as he sprinted out while dropping to her knees, her hand held against her chest. "TOHRU!" Kyo screamed out, his ears twitched back to the sound of her in pain. The cat Sohma quickly got to her and kneeled down so he could be level with her.

By now, everything was out the window as Kyo tried to look at her face. Pushing the brown curtain of hair from her face, he peeked at her eyes. "Are you okay? Let me see." He whispered to her and watched as she nodded and slowly held out her hand. Looking down, Kyo saw a deep cut running across the smooth skin of her hand. As he looked from her finger tips and up her hand, he couldn't help but see how her pale pink tank top presented a dark patch that was blood. "It's okay." He whispered but stopped dead silent when he saw thin tears coming from her eyes. "Shinta scratched me. It… hurts but… why'd he scratch me?" Tohru asked, pausing as she spoke.

Kyo's eyes narrowed as he let out his own cat-like growl. Standing up quickly, he slammed his hands onto the washing machine as he cursed loudly. "FUCK!" he yelled out and looked down at his fisted hands. "No one fucking hurts my Tohru!" Kyo said proudly, being caught up in what was happening but then stopped. Looking down to the girl, he frowned to see that she was slowly getting up.

"Um… I'll get my hand cleaned up." Tohru quietly explained, her hand back to her chest, her other hand curled around the wrist of it. As she turned to go, she felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped with a gasp. "Let me do it." Kyo said in a low voice and then left to get the first aid kit without even waiting for a reaction. Watching him go, Tohru slowly continued to make her way until she heard him shout back, "And stay there! I'll be right back!" Smiling through her tears, she sighed and waited for him to return.

-

A roll of bandages was on the floor, a trail unraveling from the bundle and created a pale snake up to Tohru's hand. She sat on the floor as Kyo sat in front of her, trying to help her deep cut. "Okay, almost done." The Sohma spoke as he rotated the roll around her hand. The girl nodded slightly and did as he said. Watching the bandages to make sure it went on correctly, he repeated to himself, "No one hurts my Tohru…" Tohru looked at him as this happened and repeated, "My Tohru?"

It made Kyo lose his pace of breathing as he coughed and quickly looked at Tohru. "What?" he asked his voice uneven from the coughing. The brunette just blinked and then explained, "You said 'my Tohru'. What are you talking about?" He didn't respond but looked for something to change the subject with. "… Done!" he randomly declared, pointing to her hand. Glancing down to it, she smiled and leaned forward to hug Kyo. "Thanks." She said and then let go of the blushing Sohma.

She studied his face and pointed out, "Kyo, you look a little red. Are you alright?" but he quickly nodded a few times. Having some of his bright hair fall into his eyes, Kyo swatted it away. "Yeah. I'm fine." He lied, "I just guess you won't be able to do laundry anymore. I actually wanted to help you with it but I'll do it for you." The girl slowly nodded with a small frown, "You're right. I'm sorry that you're going to have to do it all." Seeing her little frown, the Sohma felt some guilt about making the one he loved so much feel like that.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." He said, regaining his tough attitude and tone. Tohru watched and tried not to laugh at how he was trying to be like such a tough guy. She watched him gather the supplies to the first aid kit and put them all back. As he finally closed the plastic top, he stood up and looked to Tohru. "You should go to your room and rest. I'll get the clothes washed." Kyo assured as the girl got to her feet and nodded. After that, she didn't move but looked at the red head. It soon became uncomfortable until she asked him, "You never told me what you meant when you said 'my Tohru'…"

It caught him off guard since Kyo thought she had forgotten all about it but it looked like he was wrong. _I can't tell her how much I love her… or can I? _He wondered and then took a deep breath. "It's because… because you're a very special… you're close to me." Kyo explained and found it hard to go on. Tohru smiled to his words, "Really? Wow… thanks!" she cheered and left to her room after saying she was going to her room. When she was gone, he was left alone and then sighed. Taking up the kit, he put it on the counter and stared down to it. _Well… I didn't tell her everything but I did give her a few hints. I guess maybe it isn't so hard to follow Yuki's advice._

Taking his eyes from the kit, he looked to the washing machine and saw that it paused. "Why'd it stop?" he asked out loud and then paused, "Oh, fuck. I don't know how to wash clothes!" The Sohma knew the basics like the detergent, softener, bleach and anything else but other things he wasn't so great on. Slowly, he opened the top of it and looked down into it. Clothes were filled into the machine with water mixed in. There was no soap so he grabbed the bottle of detergent and studied the bottle. "Huh… how much to use…" he whispered, turning the bottle to find some type of guide.

A good few minutes later, he just decided to go with two top-fulls of detergent and poured it in. Closing the top, he punched in some buttons that looked right and watched it go. _I wonder if any of this is right. I could always ask Tohru for hel- no! I'm not going to let her down! I told her I was going to do it and I damn well am!_ The cat Sohma mentally declared, staring hard at the washing machine.

-

Clueless washing had been done until Kyo finally decided that he really needed to get help on washing the clothes. _I'll ask Yuki for help. Someone like him has to know how to wash clothing. _He decided and left to find the silver haired male.

"Yuki?" The name rang out as he entered the main room to see him. The rat Sohma looked up from a book he was reading but didn't speak. Getting closer to him, Kyo continued, "Uh… I… I need help with something." Yuki put his book faced down so the text was facing the table and got up to full face the redhead. "What are you needed help with?"He asked but then got a whispered response.

"Laundry."

"What?"

"… I said laundry!"

"Oh… that's right, you can't wash clothes."

The words kind of stung as Kyo slightly winced, "Hey, don't rub it in! Are you going to help or not?!" The response made Yuki chuckle but then agree to help. As they walked back to the washing machine, the silver haired male couldn't help but ask, "So… what's making you do laundry?" The other didn't say anything but eventually did. "I promised Tohru I'd do it after Shinta cut up her hand and I told her to go to her room and rest." He said with his eyes casted down with a sad glow.

"Really? Maybe I should go and check up on-" Yuki began but got cut off by quick words, "No, leave her be." Slowly, he looked to Kyo and then smiled. Whispering, "So protective." With a teasing smile, he peeked into the washing machine. "What do you mean 'so protective'?" Kyo shot back but got calm, "I mean just that. It's nothing bad though. I actually think it's a good thing to be at least a little protective." As a response. Closing the white top to the machine, he looked to the other Sohma, "Wow, Kyo, you actually did good. Just… tone it down on the soap."

From there, they talked about the laundry but then eventually about Tohru and how Kyo was doing. "Any luck?" Yuki started the conversation. Kyo nodded with a little smile, "Actually, yeah. I… told her she's close to me and very special to me… do you think that's good?" he asked, how voice lowered to as the question towards the end. It was then that the rat Sohma felt like a parent talking about something with their child. He just nodded, "I think you're doing well. You aren't rushing it but also, when you drop your little hints, try not to make too many so it makes you seem desperate yet too little and barely notices." and Kyo listened closely to them all with a few random nods.

"Oh and… how'd you get that band-aid?" Yuki asked, pointing to his nose. Kyo sighed and lightly touched it, "Thanks to Shigure… me and Tohru… got too close and I transformed and got into a fight with Shinta." The other slowly nodded with wide eyes, "I see. Let me guess… you're going to get revenge?" and quickly got his reply. "Hell yes!" Kyo said loudly, "He scratched me and he hurt Tohru and made her cry! No one does that to her!" The more he spoke, the louder he got and eventually Yuki had to get him quiet. "Well just be careful with what you do." He said, waving his hand up and down, signaling the redhead to calm down.

A huff sounded from him and Kyo crossed his arms. "Why should I be careful?" he asked with a careless tone. Yuki frowned and sighed, "Because you might regret it. Remember… don't try to give him away, try to abandon him somewhere, hurt him-" he said but stopped when he heard a snort by Kyo. "Don't hurt him? Pfft! Someone should have told Shinta that for me and Tohru!" he said back with his arms still crossed. After that, he looked away from Yuki and saw something that gave him an idea.

"I know what I'll do." He said evilly as he slowly went to grab a can of air freshener. Showing it to Yuki, he grinned slowly, his sharp teeth seeming to shine with a secret plan. The other stared at the can and then to Kyo's face. Seeing his expression, he gasped and quickly stepped to him. "You aren't." he simply said and watched the other Sohma slowly nod. "Oh, yes, I am." He said and walked out of the room, waving the can in the air.

Searching the house for Shinta, Kyo was actually disappointed when he couldn't find the cat. "The one time I want to find him…" Kyo whispered to himself as he crept around the house, his grip on the can tightening. Turning around, he frowned when he still didn't find the animal. _Damn, it's one simple cat. How hard can it be to find him?!_ He shouted in his mind as he left to continue his search. Eventually, all of his searching paid off as he saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring towards him. He body was huddled near the door to Yuki's room as if trying to get in and avoid Kyo.

"Hah, there you are… and guess what." He whispered with the can of freshener behind his back from the cat's view. He then smiled evilly and Shinta began to slowly move away from him until Kyo showed him what he was hiding behind his back. Raising the can into the air, blue eyes followed it as it widened. Quickly, Kyo began to spray it to Shinta and watched him jump back. Laughing to himself, Kyo continued and chased the black animal around the house.

As it turned a corner, the redheaded Sohma paused to look for him. "Get your ass back here!" Kyo called and saw a black tail. "Got ya!" he yelled and the chase continued. Minutes later, the black cat was pinned against a door with Kyo watching, a sadistic smile on his features. "You scared?" he asked loudly as sprayed some more of the cherry blossom freshener. Quickly, the door opened and Shinta instantly ran in. He was about to follow until he saw two feet in fuzzy slippers and stopped. Looking up, he saw Tohru with her eyes were half lidded as if she had been sleeping. "Kyo? What… what are you doing?" she asked with a little yawn to the end.

Kyo didn't reply but just stood silence. "I was…" he began but then paused when he couldn't think of anything. _What should I say? I can't tell her I was terrorizing Shinta… even if it was for good reason. _"I was… just going out and giving the air a little freshening." He lied and showed the can of air freshener as proof. Tohru just looked at it with lazy eyes and the nodded. "Okay. You picked a good scent. I'm going to go to sleep." She said slowly and went back into her room, closing the door behind her.

-

**Lucky number seven is down and next is chapter eight. I'm not sure how long the story will be so I'll just continue to pour out my writing until I have nothing left. I'll be looking forward to see how everyone liked this chapter. You guys all rock and hugs to ya!**


	8. Plans For Two

**Holy fucking cow, I'm alive! Hah, after not updating for how many days… that's the first thing I type. I am sooo sorry about not updating. Finals were such a pain and my school decided to put four in one day and one in another. Such fucking whiz kids, hm. ****Oh, wow. I'm sorry… again. Let's carry on with the story before I beat up my keyboard for my rant. ;**

**I don't own Fruits Basket but it doesn't stop me from writing fanfictions.**

**Big thanks to KyoxSakiFan, xxlelouchxx, Jazzelie, year of da cat fanclub, CapricornGurl, Funday111, Super-Kyo, animeboylover, Kisa167, Hay Lin rox, romancereject, curlyangel, HarryPotter'sgirl17, angel2adevil78 and scenexchick! **

_**KyoxSakiFan: **_**That happened to you? Mega ouch! I'm sorry to read that. I hope it healed quickly though. It's never happened to me and I hope to keep it that way.**

_**xxlelouchxx: **_**Thanks and yeah. Tohru can be so oblivious to things it's amazing. Hah, no problem and really… you're one of the people I'm able to memorize… like the penname.**

_**Jazzelie: **_**Thanks and I hope you enjoy the chapter. So sorry for the long wait.**

_**Year of da cat fanclub: **_**Yay, happy to see that you liked the chapter. Kyo can be really evil at times.**

_**CapricornGurl: **_**Sure. I sent you a private message about it. Just message me or whatever you can do.**

_**Funday111: **_**Short, simple, sweet. Thanks so much for the review.**

_**Super-Kyo: **_**Thanks and right back to you about your penname!**** Love your reviews. Hope you like the chapter after the long wait. I'll try not to let that happen again.**

_**animeboylover: **_**Yeah, it was Kyo's scent. Yay! I have a cat expert reading my story. I admit, I don't know much about cats so parts of the story are from my own cats or other's. The parts with the air freshener and when Kyo turns into a cat and gets into a fight with Shinta were gotten from them. They flip out when my mom goes around with the air spray and stuff so it's like my little inspiration.**

_**Kisa167: **_**Hah, you're right. Thanks for the review. Enjoy!**

_**curlyangel: **_**Oh, damn. You're right. I didn't catch that. Thanks for pointing it out. Sorry about that mistake. The curse is hard to keep up with sometimes.**

_**HarryPotter'sgirl17: **_**Really? That sucks. Cat bites look like they are nasty things.**

_**angel2adevil78: **_**Hm, thanks. The credit goes to my mom when she goes around spraying the air freshener and my cats freak out. **

o-o-o

A sigh of triumph was heard from a smirking Kyo who was looking at Tohru's now closed door. He lowered the can of air freshener and then turned from the door. Going through the memories of what had happened just seconds ago, he went back to join the rat Sohma. There was a happy bounce in his step and anyone would have thought something was wrong with him as he tossed the spray can between his hands. More memories went past his mind as his smirk just grew.

Turning into the room, he set back down the can and faced the wide eyed Yuki. "What?" Kyo asked, cracking the silence though it didn't stop the other. More seconds went by without change until the silver haired moved from his position near the washing machine. "Kyo," he began but then quickly paused to fold his arms, "What did you do to Shinta? You can't hurt him, you know." The other laughed and waved a hand. He said nothing but didn't have to since Yuki would have cut him off or wouldn't have believed him.

Taking that into thought, he took a shot at it anyway. "I know and I didn't hurt him. I just gave him a good scare, that-" he began to explain but then got cut off by a snort from Yuki. Looking at the boy, he saw a frown spread across his face. "Oh, so you went and mentally scarred him?!" Yuki asked loudly, his voice being of slight anger. None of it affected Kyo and he stood firm as he shook his head, "I didn't mentally scarred him. I told you… I just gave him a good scare." He didn't get a response but the other stared at the can of freshener and then looked away from it.

Seeing that the conversation wouldn't get any better, Yuki brought up the laundry. "This load is almost finished. Just put it out to dry and then you have to do the other load. The next one is the whites… you know how to wash those, right?" he asked with his hand quietly tapping the washing machine as he spoke. The redhead nodded, "Yeah. Wash it with the detergent and then put bleach on it and stuff." The words were accompanied by a lazy wave of the hand. Yuki nodded slowly to himself, deciding that the other knew all that there was when it came to washing clothes. "All right. I'll be in my room if you need help with it." Yuki finally said and then left to his bedroom.

Just seconds later, the Sohma was alone in the room, the sounds of the washing machine making the only noise. Kyo turned his eyes from the door to the rumbling machine and then frowned. He hated having to do laundry but this was a whole new story. Under his watch, the noises stopped and the white washing machine stood motionless. He reached forward and flipped open the top to peek in to see that was the water was gone and nothing but wet clothes that was clumped together was left behind.

The redheaded Sohma left the machine and crossed the room to where they kept a small collection of laundry supplies. His eyes slowly scanned the items and made a noise of discovery when he found a basket to put the clothing in. Taking it under his arm, he crossed back to the other side of the room and set the basket beside the open washing machine. Again, he looked inside but then began to scoop out the clothing and drop it into the basket. As he did this, he saw articles of clothing falling from the clumped pile and sighed. _Why does this have to be so difficult?_

More clothing was dropped carelessly into the basket until there was nothing but loose articles in the washing machine. Sighing, Kyo leaned forward as his arm dipped inside and felt around for any leftover clothing. He gathered some into his hand and dropped it into the basket. Looking back in, he saw some more and began to get annoyed. "How can Tohru do this?" Kyo asked out loud, his hands brought up to his chest to emphasis the emotion.

Grunting, he ran a hand along the cold metal and then felt wet fabric. Blinking quickly to himself, Kyo grabbed the fabric and pulled it from the machine. As he did this, the clothing felt strange to him. Making an expression of confusion, he paused in the middle of the action as a thought played through is mind. _What's this? It's kinda soft but… is this metal? What the fu- _He questioned but then stopped when he slowly came face to face with what looked like a bra. Though it was a simple black bra, the Sohma's complexion went to a bright red. _Holy fuck, this is Tohru's bra! _He screamed, throwing it into the basket.

Even though the room was quiet, the cat Sohma could just hear his heart beating a quick tune as it pounding onto his chest. It was all ignored as he stared at the plastic basket, the black bra staring back at him. With a small shiver, he turned away from it and slowly looked at his hands. _I don't believe that just happened._ He thought with a frown at the embarrassing incident. The fast heart beats slowed to a normal one and he went back to the duty of washing clothes.

Kyo left the basket of wet clothing alone and moved onto the whites as he tossed them into the washing machine. He moved quickly when the thought of finding another piece of Tohru's personal clothing again and was finished in no time. Turning the top closed, he leaned forward and began to fiddle with the buttons and knobs. The last button was pushed and the machine came alive with sounds of water filling into it. The boy nodded to himself and looked back to the basket. Without a thought, he grabbed the sides of it and lifted it up to his chest. He leaned his head to the side to see over the hill of damp clothing and left to put them up to dry.

Leaving the comfort of his home, the Sohma stepped outside and instantly felt the heat of the season settled on him. The sudden change was enough for Kyo to grunt and tried to quicken the short journey to where he would hang the clothing to dry. When he arrived there, he set the basket down onto the grass and looked at a small basket that had already been there. In it contained clothes pins that would be needed. Taking his red eyes from the pins, he looked to the basket of clothing and grabbed whatever he could. Without thought, he began to pin the clothing and whatever else there was in the basket to the line.

As he pinned up a pair of jeans, a light breeze rattled the clothing and made the Sohma look around him. The breeze felt nice though it ended as fast as it came and the male was felt with a frown. Turning his head, he looked into the basket and saw that it was empty. "Finally!" the redhead huffed as he picked up the basket and made his way back into the house.

Finally being back indoors, Kyo lazily dropped the basket onto a counter and realized he was actually halfway finished with the laundry. He slowly glared at the pile of whites though it blankly stared back, making him sigh. Not even wanted to think about any personal items he was touching, he quickly tossed them into the washing machine and slammed the metal top. Sounds of knobs being turned and a button being pushed sounded, then water filled the washing machine. "This sucks." Kyo whined in a whisper as he stepped away from it to leave the room. As far as he knew, you didn't need to stay in the room when you were doing laundry.

The boy wandered in the living room and saw it was empty. He took quick advantage of it as he sat down on a cushion and began to let his mind wander. His eyes glued themselves to one of the walls and his fingers clumsily tangled with each other. Though he appeared to be quiet, his thoughts were already planning the next move on what to do. _Okay. So far, Tohru wants to hang out with me but she still has no idea that I like her. I can do that… until the damned butterflies come up. Maybe… I could take her to the park, there's a garden section and I know how she loves flowers and plants. _Kyo thought to himself with a small smile as he shifted his position slowly on the cushion. _Oh! And if we're alone… I'll take the real step. I'll tell her how much I love her. That's it. No more running away from this!_

Thoughts got bolder as Kyo shook with determination. Quickly, he peeked out a window to see the afternoon sun was still in the cloudless sky. "Great. I'll ask her now if she wants to go to the… fuck, I still have to do laundry!" the Sohma whispered to himself but then shouted when he remembered his clothes washing duties. Remembering it caused him to have his smile turn into an angry frown as he rushed into the next room to check on the laundry.

Going into the room, he quickly got to the washing machine and checked on it. "Need some bleach." He whispered, getting away from it to find the bottle. In the collection of softeners and detergents, a white jug was found to contain what he was looking for. Kyo wrapped his tan fingers along the pearl white handle and lifted the container. As he carried it back, he took into account how heavy it was and that more would have to be bought in the near future.

Now standing in front of the washing machine, he opened the top and looked at the darkened clothing at the bottom as water swayed carelessly. "How much to put?" Kyo asked out loud as he twisted the top off of the bottle. His question remained as he stared at the container of bleach in his grasp. _Well, it's supposed to whiten clothes, right? So… the more the better?_ More silence went by until the Sohma shrugged to himself. "Yoh well…" he whispered as he tipped the bottle slightly and watched the mini waterfall. When there seemed to have been enough, Kyo turned the bottle up straight and closed the top of the washing machine.

Seconds later, it came to life and the washing continued. Kyo turned his back to it as he put the cap back onto the top and went to return it. He set it near the softener and then sighed, "I hope this doesn't take long. I really want to take Tohru to the garden." Whispered words got interrupted by the sound of footsteps and the boy quickly looked to the door. Slowly, it opened and a black haired male peeked into the room. "You're doing laundry?" he asked and then opened the door some more to enter. The other nodded, "Yeah, Shigure." He answered, "I told Tohru I'd do it for her."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd do anything for her." Shigure replied with a smirk and watched Kyo carefully for a reaction. Hearing what the dog Sohma had said, he hurriedly looked at his smirking expression. "Shut up, you perv!" Kyo said back but then turned confused when he said him chuckling. It went on for a few seconds and ended with a sigh. "I didn't mean anything pervertly… but you sure took it that way. So, what are you thinking about with little Tohru?" he said, his smirk staying intact through it all. The two said nothing, one smirking as the other was blushing like mad. "Sh… shut up!" the younger male shouted and quickly turned his back to the older male.

The shout just made Shigure chuckle some more and walked over to the washing machine. He didn't open it but just watched it. "I didn't know you could do laundry." He said, trying to lighten things up a bit. Kyo just nodded with his back still to the black haired male. "A little. Do you know how long it takes for the whites to wash? I want to go out somewhere with Tohru." He said, his voice a bit low. Shigure just shrugged and curiously stepped to the other. "Go out somewhere?" he asked once he got beside Kyo, "Where are you going with her?" More whispering was done between the two for fear the one girl of the house would enter the room.

"I want to take her to the garden section of the park."

"Really, now? Will you two be alone?"

"Uh-huh... I hope so anyway."

"Will you hold her hand?"

"Um... I'm not sure

"Will you take off her-"

"Just be quiet… think you can do the rest of the laundry for me? I need to get to Tohru."

"Alright, fine."

o-o-o

The beat of knocking sounded as Kyo stared at the door to Tohru's bedroom. The knocking was slow and gentle from the butterflies that had sprung up just seconds ago. Kyo waited for the brunette girl to answer as thoughts went over him. _I'll just do what I planned before. Take her to the garden and tell her everything. But… what if she doesn't wanna go?_ He asked himself and instantly began to feel unsure about it all. From behind the door, the bedroom sounded silent and the redhead thought Tohru was still asleep. About to leave, he stopped when he heard footsteps and saw the door slowly open. Standing in the wooden doorway was Tohru who seemed to have been awake for some time now. On her face was her ever present smile that Kyo stared at, his body and mind falling victim to the butterflies that he felt in his stomach.

o-o-o

**Hm, ****this chapter**** came out a decent length. I imagined it to be longer but I don't want to make you guys wait. I was amazed to see that the note on the top took up almost an entire page on my word program thing. Well, maybe it's a good thing since most of it was replies to you guys. Thanks so much, you guys. Great hugs for putting up with me! Oh, awesome news… I have no school (or homework!) for just about a week.**


	9. Two Purple Flowers Among Blue

**Here we go with a new chapter. I'm starting to see I'm a night/early morning updater. ****Hm, ****I'll have to remember that for the future. I don't own Fruits Basket. Thanks to ****freexflyer****animeboylover****, Love Inc., ****KyoxSakiFan****, littlestar1694, Super-Kyo, ****Nadya**** Valentine, ****Jazzelie****, Kisa167 and ****CapricornGurl.**

_**freexflyer: ****Thanks. Enjoy the chapter.**_

_**animeboylover: ****Hah, that's a good question but no. Kyo takes another step and there's a big of a surprise towards the end of the chapter. Hope you and everyone else like it.**_

_**Love Inc.:**** As usual, thanks so much:D**_

_**KyoxSakiFan: ****Really****hm****? Washing clothes seems really annoying. My parents won't let me. Once, they did and they got pissed because I was being 'too specific' with the colors… and also the plain fear of me exploding the washing machine and flooding the apartment comes into play. ****; Thanks.**** Trying to get the characters right is one of those things I really try to do.**_

_**littlestar1694: ****Yay****, a new person reviewed my chapter. Happy you like it. **_

_**Super-Kyo:**** Thanks and you won't have to tell me twice:D**_

_**Jazzelie: ****It's ****regents**** week at school so you just go when you have a test, if not, you stay home. I only have one set for Thursday morning. All the other days are ****mmmine****Right?**** I wouldn't be too cool about a guy doing my laundry but then this is Tohru. ****Hahah****, yeah, he did. **_

_**Kisa167: ****Thanks and hope you ****keep loving**** it. **_

_**CapricornGurl: ****Thanks for your review. Enjoy****hm**_

o-o-o

The silence between the two went from comfort to awkwardness as Tohru blinked to the staring Kyo. "Um… are you… alright?" she asked quietly, her hand slowly waving. The delicate hand waving in front of her smile broke whatever daze he was under and lightly gasped. Looking around slowly, he tried not to panic and go along with this mental plan. "Yeah. I'm fine. It's still light out. Why not come with me to the garden in the park? When we was outside for our picnic, I saw it looked nice." He explained with his eyes down to see his hands rubbing nervously against each other. Tohru's smile widened and she nodded quickly, "Oh that would be great!"

Then, things quieted down and she saw that Kyo didn't leave. "You… want to go there now?" she asked sounding a bit unsure and saw him nod back. The brunette lightly nodded to herself and went deeper into her room, not bothering to close the door. "Alright. I didn't change into my house clothes so just let me get some some shoes." She said as she went to the opposite side of the room. Kyo said nothing and waited for Tohru but then frowned when he saw Shinta slowly jump off the chair to the girl's desk. The blue eyed cat slowly took a survey of the bedroom, his eyes watching Tohru and then shifting to Kyo. A small staring match went underway until it was broken by the brunette. "Ready to go." She declared, her sandals beating onto the floor as she walked to them.

As soon as the staring match was broken, Shinta let out a dragging cry as he turned to Tohru. Sad eyes from the girl lowered to the black animal, "Aw, what's wrong? I'll be back." She said. The soft words did nothing to help the whining cat as he just cried out again but this time rubbed his face onto Tohru's legs. "I said that I'll be back, Shinta." She laughed and then picked up the cat to hold in a comforting hug. _I wish she could hold me like that._ The words settled in Kyo's thoughts as he watched. "You believe this cat, Kyo? I tell him I'll be right back but he won't listen." Tohru explained and then giggled when the animal still in her arms began to whine again. She then began to whisper words to Shinta as her hand ran along the shiny fur of the animal.

_Damn cat!_ Kyo's jealousy continued to rise the more he watched. Abruptly, the songs of birds chirping enter the room from the window. All three looked to the half open window to see birds in the trees and even on the sill were chirping loudly. It was then that small black began to push on Tohru's chest as if the owner was telling her that he wanted to get put down. The girl let the cat go and he jumped from her arms and onto the floor. His body sank low onto the floor as he slowly made his way to the window and watched with wide eyes. A few of the birds saw the cat and left but one oblivious bird remained, not even pausing its song for a second. As it sang, its small body swayed to the tunes from its petite beak.

"Aw, look, Kyo!" Tohru whispered with excitement as she pointed to the small rust colored bird. The Sohma looked to the chubby bird and slowly nodded. As they watched the bird sing, Shinta tried to get as close to the bird as possible until standing still to stare at its target. With every sway the bird made, black slits in Shinta's eyes followed. The cat seemed frozen until he jumped onto the windowsill and tried to catch the bird. Shinta moved quickly and it was somewhat hard to keep up with though the bird was faster and flew from the windowsill and into a nearby tree. Watching the bird get away, Shinta watched it and then slowly jumped back onto the floor as if he was depressed about it all.

"It's alright." Said Tohru as she began to comfort the sad cat by putting his sides, "You shouldn't mess around with them anyway. You might get hurt or something." The petting seemed to help as Shinta began to purr and rub back._ Might get hurt._ Kyo repeated the words in his thoughts as he watched the two._ That's it! If I can get Shinta outside, he'll be distracted with the birds and try to catch them. How much damaged could he do to himself trying to catch birds? Oh! He might get lost and someone finds him… then takes him home with them! I'll be free of the damned thing. _He knew it was a nasty plan but with the problems the cat was causing, he couldn't bring himself to actually care.

The brunette petted the cat once more and then stood up straight to look at the Sohma. "Oh, I'm sorry. We can go to the garden now." Said Tohru as she walked from a crying Shinta to the doorway. Seeing her go, Kyo stepped from the doorway and into the hallway. She followed him and the two began to walk down the halls of the house. They walked in silence until Kyo figured that they were far enough from the girl's room. "Hey. I forgot something. Uh… meet me outside, I'll catch up." He said and saw Tohru nod back. The redhead watched her small figure continue down the hall and then out of sight. "Alright. Let's get this done." He whispered to himself as he turned to make his way to Tohru's room.

o-o-o

The bedroom was empty besides Shinta who was lying on the bed, his eyes on some birds that were on the windowsill. A light breeze blew and the pale curtains shifted, scaring away the birds but only to have them return seconds later. Kyo slowly closed the door and carefully got beside the black animal. Feeling the close presence, blue eyes darted to the Sohma's red eyes though the cat didn't move. Just need to get him to the window. Kyo thought to himself as he moved his hands at snail's pace to get a hold on Shinta. The eventual feel of hands on his fur made him jump up but then dragged off of the bed in return. "Hey! Stop it!" the male warned as the animal twisted his body to face Kyo.

He practically ran to the window and threw Shinta onto the windowsill. As the cat landed swiftly on it, the birds flew away to dodge him. Seeing this, the black cat seemed captivated by it until he turned to look at Kyo. Nothing happened but time going by but then the blue-eyed cat easily fit threw the half open window and then jumped down to the ground. Now that he was outside, Shinta could hear even more of the birds' songs. Skillful eyes scanned the trees for the loud birds and the cat was already starting his journey.

Back in the room, Kyo watched from the window with a satisfied smirk. "Yeah. Go follow the birds, Shinta… and never come back." He whispered, seeing the black cat trot away from the house. Still with his smirk, he turned from the window and slipped out the door. Quietly, he closed the door and started out of the house to meet Tohru.

_o-o-o_

"I wonder if Kyo is okay. He's taking a while. It's weird he wants to take me to the garden." Tohru said to herself. Like she was told, she was outside of the house but also waiting a good while for the redheaded Sohma to meet her. She was about to go into the house to search for him but stopped when she saw the door open and Kyo looked at her. "Come on." He simply said, showing he was ready to go and began walking towards the park. The girl nodded and jogged to reach him, slowing into a calm walking pace when she met his side.

"They always have nice flowers there." Tohru spoke up with her hands clapped together, "Whoever is in charge of it picks really pretty flowers to grow there." Her words only received little of his attention since he mainly paid attention to her expressions as she talked. _Why can't see that I love her? It's like I'm damned to fucking jump through hoops and stuff. But it's ok… it's ok because it's all worth it!_ Kyo passionately ranted in his thoughts but stopped to hear giggling. Looking beside him, he saw Tohru watching him with a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." She apologized, her hand now lowered to reveal a smile. "It's just that you looked so serious… so deep in thought about something." What? Damn. I need to stop spacing out when I'm around her! "Oh. Nah, I'm fine. Just thinking about… some things."Kyo replied with a shrug.

After that, they began to talk about random things to summer in general to the laundry Kyo promised to do. "It was fine." He said, not bothering to get into the bra incident. Tohru just nodded, "Alright. If you needed help, you could have asked but it's good you managed to do it yourself." The Sohma shook his head with a small frown, "No. You were in your room resting. I didn't want to take you from that." His words seemed to be deeper than the brunette took them since she just nodded in return. Their walk was soon over as the park just came into few. Looking from the park to the sky, Kyo's eyes narrowed to see that the sun was slowly making its way down. _We probably have a few more hours until the sun goes down… but why does it look darker than it should?_ Ignoring this, they entered the park and then crossed over into the garden section of it.

Once they got there, Tohru broke away from Kyo's side to look at all of the flowers that there were. She twirled in a circle to look at them all and saw how there was somewhat of a theme. Some flowers were a medium blue while others were darker or lighter. Some she saw were such a light blue, they almost looked white. "Look at them, Kyo!" Tohru called out to him as she went from one bunch of flowers to another. All of this was watched by the cat Sohma as he smiled to see her childish actions. How pure. He simply thought to himself as he walked to the giggling girl. Once he got to her side, he looked at all the plants that amazed the brunette greatly. "They're nice." He stated, looking at how the colors of the flowers flowed together.

"Tohru?" Kyo asked even though he knew she was right beside him. She just looked him to him; "Hm?" she hummed. He didn't say anything for a moment until he took a deepbreath, "You know how… I said that I like you and that I want to spend more time with you?" Tohru just nodded, too into his words to create any of her own. "I just wanted to use this as one of those times, you know?" he said to her, his voice low and soft, "Also, I want to go and change what I said about liking you." Hearing him, her expression sank to one of worry and confusion but stopped when she felt strong hands grab her shoulders. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad. I don't like you… I rrreally like you." He explained._ Dammit. That's not it. Say you love her! Love her!!_ No matter how hard he tried to say the 'L' word, he couldn't bring himself to say it so he just stuck to that.

The girl smile greatly and nod. "Oh, okay. That's wonderful, Kyo." She said which wasn't the kind of reply that he was really looking for. _She… She isn't going to say that she likes me back?_ The shattering thought played through his mind and all he was left to do was drop a hand onto her head._ You'll never understand will you?_ He mentally questioned with a sad smile as he slowly took his hand from the top of her head. As he did this, Tohru giggled, "I really like you, too." She said but then stopped when she saw Kyo had also paused. "What?" he asked, his voice making the brunette feel unsure of what she had just said seconds ago. "I… I said that I really like you too." She said quietly, not sure on what the Sohma's reaction would be. Not hearing anything from Kyo, the girl seemed worried until she got another question from him. "Have you ever had a boyfriend, Tohru?" Kyo asked his eyes to the seemingly endless sea of blue flowers. She just stared at him, not sure where he was going with the questions but answered anyway. "No." she answered with the shake of her head. The redhead slowly nodded and asked another question that really caught her off guard.

"Would you like one?"

The conversation went cold from there and a choking silence formed. Tohru stared at Kyo, who stared at the flowers. From the corner of his eye, the Sohma saw her look away and to the floor. Her eyes seemed lost in thought, which he hoped was for the good._ Good. She's thinking about it._ He noted to himself as he looked back to the flowers._ I shouldn't rush her though._ There was still silence as he paused his eyes from running through the followers anymore. It was two flowers that caught his eye. There were two pale purple flowers in a group of pale blue ones. It was barely noticeable but someone with very good eyesight could see the difference between them._ In a field of flowers, there's always two that are meant for each other._

Looking away from the flowers, he saw Tohru was still looking to the ground. Her features were still with thought and Kyo smiled to himself, hoping her answer would be the "Yes" that he has been wanting to hear for so long. _Hm, I really shouldn't rush her. I'll give her time. _He decided and began to take a few steps away from the thinking girl. Hearing him leave, Tohru looked up to Kyo but then looked down to his wave hand as if telling her to follow. "We should go. It's getting dark." He said to her, his eyes climbing to the sky. By now, the sun was almost gone though it was darker than usual until Kyo saw why that was so. _Clouds… rain clouds. We need to get home before it starts to rain._ "It's going to rain." He said plainly as he began to walk to an exit out of the park. Tohru followed at his side and looked up to take a look for herself. "You're right. Let's get home quick." She said, lowering her eyes so see in front of her.

o-o-o

Entering the home, the sound of rain combined with wind came to life. "We got here just in time." Tohru sighed as she ran a hand down her lightly wet hair. Kyo just nodded as he began to tug off his shoes. Lazily, he tossed them aside and looked up to the brunette when she asked, "Should I start on dinner?" He just shrugged and saw Tohru start walking towards the hall to leave. "I'll just change and see if the others are hungry for dinner." She explained and then left. Now, Kyo was alone with his thoughts._ I wonder how Shinta is doing._ He wondered as he peered out of a window to see that the rain hadn't let up._ It's raining pretty hard. He should be fine._

Letting the thoughts go, he wandered into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. He pulled out a container of milk and set it on the counter. Closing the door to it, he took up a cup and poured himself some milk. Kyo stopped and put the container beside the cup as he put the top back onto it. Slowly, he began to drink it but then paused when he heard someone enter the room in a hurry. Lowering the cup from his lips, he saw it was Tohru. Her expression was an odd mix of worry, shock and some other things he couldn't register since she cut his thoughts short. "Have you seen Shinta?" she asked in a quick voice. Her voice had a shiver to it and now that he thought about it, her small frame even had a shiver to it. Kyo shook his head, now being filled with so many questions. Before he could ask, Tohru left the room. "Is Shinta still gone? She looked so worried…" he whispered to himself and put the cup back onto the counter. Not bothering to return the milk, Kyo left the kitchen to follow the worried brunette.

Minutes of searching past and then Kyo paused when he still couldn't find her. "Dammit!" he scolded loudly but then stopped to the eye widening sound of someone running and a worried call. Quickly, he followed the sound and saw Tohru wandering the house. "Tohru? What happened?" he asked but then frowned when she looked to him with teary eyes. "It's Shinta, Kyo. I don't know where he is… no one does! What if he's out there?" she asked her voice uneven with worry._ What? He didn't get back? I wanted get back at him… but Tohru looks horrible right now._ The Sohma thought to himself, his expression being one of shock and thought. "It's okay, Tohru." He comforted, trying to get the skinny trail of tears to stop running down Tohru's face.

Nothing he did helped until he made a decision that instantly quieted her down. "I'll find him." He said, his hand slightly raised and then coiled into a fist._ I hate seeing her so sad this way. If I knew this would happen… I never would have done this._ Tohru glanced deeper into his eyes and then smiled, breaking the tears. "You will? You don't have to!" she said but then had a tan hand shoved to her face. "No. Don't worry. I'll find him." Said Kyo with a confident tone as he went to get his shoes to leave on his search mission. Watching him go, Tohru called to him, "Alright but… please, be careful!"

o-o-o

**Oh, yeah. Who saw**** that kind of ending coming? ****Hm****, I have really nothing to put here so… yeah. Hugs to all.**


	10. A New Moon

**Yay, a new chapter. This is the second to last chapter and I'm sorry for not giving anyone the heads up. Really... I didn't even give myself the heads up since I'm typing as much to this story as I can but with it still making sense and I think I've reached my limit here. Most of this chapter I just typed but I apologize for any errors. I'm so tired but I can't sleep... keep having nightmares. -shrinks and shivers- To make things worse... I still don't own Fruits Basket! Anyway, onto my list of thankies. Thanks to KyoxSakiFan, HarryPotter'sgirl17, kyoskitten, animeboylover, Love Inc., Funday111 and Super-Kyo.**

**_KyoxSakiFan: _Oh, I know! I bet Kyo would totally agree.**

**_HarryPotter'sgirl17: _Yeah. Cats are odd creatures but that's why we love them so much. :)**

**_kyoskitten: _Glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing.**

**_animeboylover:_ Alright. You put it in all caps, too. Thanks so much. Aw, that's so cute. I'll keep it in mind for the epilogue I want to write.**

**_Love Inc.:_ Yeah! I'm on a roll with the reviews starting in caps. I would have done the same if I was her. I'm super shy when it comes to dating and things like that. Probably where I got the random idea from. :/ **

**_Funday111: _Heh, you're really into it but that's great. Hope you find the chapter to your liking!**

**_Super-Kyo: _Thanks. Aw, is she a bit out of character? Damn. I was trying to keep everyone as in character I as could to keep the story going. Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad then.**

o-o-o

Already Kyo got on his shoes and was running around the wooded area. He didn't even bother to stop for an umbrella but then was glad he didn't. The rain was coming down pretty hard but with the wind and him searching for Shinta, it would just get in the way. _Where could he have gone? He was just chasing some stupid birds!_ His thoughts yelled when he began ran from tree to tree and bush to bush. There were so many places for him to look that he didn't even know where to seriously start. "Shinta!" he finally yelled out when his temper soon got the better of him, "Where are you?" The calls were unanswered and then had a thought that somewhat scared him. _What if he's not here but… in town? What if he gets hit by a car or taken by someone?! Tohru will never be the same!_ This all got Kyo's feet frozen to the wet soil as he trembled from the cold rain but also from his thoughts. Rapidly, he shook his head to the thoughts, water droplets flying from his now dark orange hair.

A few seconds later and the Sohma was jogging through the mushy soil and towards town. He was careful not to fall in the shifting mud but also tried not to be too slow in finding the black furred cat. The rain started to lighten from heavy to average and Kyo could see a clearing of trees and lights glowing in the rain ahead of him. More steps carried him into that clearing and looked around to see he was now on a sidewalk with no people around though the usual car here and there would pass. "Shinta!" Kyo shouted again but nothing came to answer. _Okay, were would I hide in weather like this? _He asked himself and instantly ran down the sidewalk to find any sort of shelter. He checked everywhere from discarded boxes to under cars but had no luck. As quickly as he was searching, he was growing desperate and called out, "Shinta? Where are you?!" but stopped as a car drove past. Luck really mustn't have been on his side since the car drove through a puddle of water, creating a wave of water to splash at him.

"Oh, come fucking on!" he screamed, feeling the water sink into his already wet clothes. His shouts got some odd looks in return but he didn't care since he saw a dash of black cross the street. The sight of it made the redhead forget about what had happened involving the car and followed the black animal across the street. "Shinta?" Kyo asked out when he lost track of the mysterious creature as he twirled in circles to look around. He didn't see the blue-eyed cat but what he did see was the rain coming to a slow stop and the clouds shifted to reveal sunlight. _The rain… it finally stopped._ He told himself as he looked into the sky but then away to dodge the sun's rays from blinding him. Taking advantage of the rain finished, he brushed his face with his hand and shook it to get off the rain water that sting his eyes. _Now that it stopped raining, it should be easier for me to find him._ Back to the search mission, Kyo wandered the sidewalks but this time not in much of a rush since the weather climbed back to its usual summer type.

The streets were still empty but gradually filling with people as time went by. Still, Kyo was going nowhere in his search for Shinta. "I just saw something run by here…" he whispered to himself, retracing his steps to where he lost the black animal. He slowly began walking as he continued to whisper to himself until he saw a black head poke out from under a parked car. Almost instantly, he froze in his step and looked at the animal that appeared to be a black cat. _It's Shinta! It has to be! _Kyo still didn't move but watched the cat slowly look around as if seeing for itself if the rain had stopped. Every movement from the careful cat was watched by the Sohma, who grew more and more hopeful in being able to get Shinta back home. _I just need to be careful about taking him. He'll most likely try to scratch the shit out __of me. _He planned and slowly made his way to the hiding animal when it finally took its entire body from under the car.

Getting close enough, Kyo jumped forward to swipe up the cat and got a shriek out of the cat. "Sh, be quiet. It's just me… Kyo. I'm taking you home." He whispered into the terrified cat's ear though it just cried out even louder. He didn't even reply to the cat as he started back to the house. The rebellious cat soon became too much as the Sohma had to stop walking just to shift his hold on it. A dragged out cry later, the black-furred animal turned in his tan hands to face him. "Will you just-" he was going to warn but stopped when he was glaring into peridot green eyes. "Your… your eyes." Kyo slowly said in a low voice of pure confusion. _This cat… __its__ eyes are green. Shinta has blue eyes. Fuck! I've got the wrong cat!_ He yelled in his mind as he held out the cat to take more observation of it. Everything was just like Shinta besides the eyes but he stopped at the stomach with wide eyes. "You really aren't Shinta." He said, staring at the black belly with white sprinkles. _Damn, I'm not even close with this cat!_ Pulling open his hands, the cat jumped away from him and ran off without even looking back.

"Now what?" he asked himself, leaving the car from where he had found the cat. Now, Kyo felt lost in what to do. Just when he thought the cat was Shinta, it turned out that it wasn't even him. _Shit, he has to be here somewhere._ He slowly began to wander the streets, regretting even sending the cat to chase birds in the first place. Stopping on a corner, he began to think what his next few moves should be and then crossed the street to the other sidewalk. The cat Sohma then heard talking and looked to see a girl that seemed to be just a little older than him. She was talking to something that wasn't in his line of sight though she did have an animal carrier with her. "Come on. It's okay." He heard her say and then Kyo decided to get closer to see what she was talking to. Finding a good spot to watch without being noticed, he watched the girl who now looked like she was speaking to a cat.

"Don't worry, Baby. Just come here." The girl cooed with her hand out to the cat. Her hand slowly got close enough to its black fur and she gave it a gentle pat. Slowly, she gained the trust of the animal as he crawled out to her. From Kyo's position, he got a full look at the cat and gasped quietly, "its Shinta! I know it's him." Seeing the blue-eyed cat gradually grow comfortable around the woman, he soon grew confused on what to do next. He found the cat but he couldn't just go and take him from her. One thing he felt unsure of was the animal carrier that she had by her side. In just seconds, he found out its purpose as the woman somehow got Shinta into the plastic box and locked the small door closed. "Alright. Let's get you to the pet store. You'll have a nice home in no time, Baby. You're a cute cat, you know." She said, standing up and taking up the carrier. The blonde girl continued talking with the cat as she walked but then stopped when Kyo stepped in front of her. As she stopped, he saw her shirt that had a badge of the pet store's name and other information to show she was a worker. _She works in the pet store Tohru got Shinta from. There's only one pet store in this area anyway._

The girl stopped and looked into Kyo's red-ish eyes. "Oh, excuse me." she politely said and walked around him but stopped to hear him talking to her. "Wait. That cat." He said and pointed to the carrier, "He's my friend's cat that got lost. She got him from your store. Thanks for finding him. Can I… can I have him back?" After saying those words, he quickly wanted to take them back now that he really didn't know where he was going with them. Brown eyes stared at him and then blinked, "I'm sorry but if your friend purchased him from us, we're going to need the receipt or any kind of documents." She explained and frowned when Kyo sighed angrily. "I'm sorry, Sir, but it's to ensure the animal has a great chance of finding a good home." She said and then continued walking to the pet store to drop off Shinta. T_his isn't working out! Can't she just give me the damned cat?! _Kyo asked himself and then followed the woman into the store. Along the walk, she kept looking over her shoulder to the male with a frown but then continued walking anyway.

She now entered the store with Kyo not too far behind but he quickly lost her as she went into a room marked for just employees. "Shit." He cursed and waited for the girl to come back but only got questioned by another employee. "Hello, Sir. Anything I can help you with?" the man asked but the redhead just shook his head. The worker was about to leave until Kyo held out a hand for him not to leave. "Actually, yeah." He said, getting the man's attention and the two talked about what he had told the female worker but only got the same answer. Trying not to throw a fit, he just nodded and left the store to get back home so he could find the receipt. _If I can get him back by showing them the receipt then fine!_His thoughts said as he ran back home to find the piece of paper.

The run got in back there to see Yuki outside holding a plastic bag. "Yuki!" Kyo called out and saw the other Sohma stood when he heard his name. Running to him, the redhead asked, "That bag. What's in it?" and then pointed to it. Yuki seemed confused and then slowly lifted the white bag. "It's the garbage. I told Tohru I'd throw it out for her." He explained and gasped when it goes snatched from his hold. Quickly, Kyo searched through the bag as his thoughts came alive again. _It has to be in here. She probably threw out the receipt so it ended up here. _The rat Sohma didn't say anything to let the other know he owed an explanation. Red-ish eyes saw a small piece of paper and tugged it from the bag but frowned when it was folded in half. "Pet store won't give me back Shinta so I need the receipt." He simply said, making Yuki nod slowly. Unfolding the piece of paper, Kyo saw it really was the receipt and quickly left to get back to the pet store. Watching him rush, the silver-haired male slowly shook his head and then continued to throw out the trash.

o-o-o

"Now they'll have to give me back Shinta. Damned cat better be grateful!" he whispered as he pushed open the door to enter the store. Going towards the counter, he stopped and came face to face when the blonde woman from before. "Good evening! Oh, I remember you." She greeted with a smile and Kyo nodded to her. "I have the receipt, here." He said and then put the paper onto the counter, giving it a gentle push after that. Turning her brown eyes to the paper, she took it into her hands and nodded as she turned to the computer. As she typed and clicked again, Kyo curiously took a look around the store since he hadn't really been able to before. Some animals were asleep but he shivered to see a few cats and even dogs staring at him between the metallic bars of their cages. Turning away from them, he looked out the window and finally noticed why the blonde worker has told him that greeting. The sky was darker now with glowing stars and though he couldn't see the moon from where he was, Kyo was sure it was out, too. "Okay." The woman finally said as she looked back to him and returned the receipt, "The identification numbers in the computer and on the receipt match." Quickly looking back to the screen, she read out loud, "Male, short haired, black fur, light blue eyes." And Kyo nodded to them all.

Leaving the computer for good, she began to talk to him again. "Okay. Sorry about any inconvenience. I'll get him right now." She said and then left to go back into the room that was marked for employees only. She didn't take long and returned with Shinta who was still in his carrier. Walking behind the counter again, she set the carrier onto the counter and nudged it forward. "There you go. Have a good night." The female said and Kyo didn't take the carrier but looked into it to see Shinta. Their eyes were locked onto each other though the Sohma noticed something about the light blue eyes he was looking into. They were filled with some type of emotion though it wasn't anger or anything like that. It was something new, something different. The two didn't make a sound or move until the worker asked out, "Is… is everything alright?" and Kyo just nodded. Saying this thanks quickly, he took up the carrier and began to walk outside.

The fast paced walk was silent, which kind of surprised Kyo until he shifted the carrier so he could look into it. Shinta's bright eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and he knew he was still being stared at. "Shinta." He simply said as he looked forward and then back to the carrier when he saw nothing was in front of him. Looking back into the black animal's eyes, he finally found out what was different. _Are… are his eyes softer? Does he not hate me anymore?_ He questioned and saw Shinta move slightly, and then give a full cry. Hearing it, Kyo looked away and slowly nodded. "Yeah. That store really was weird, huh?" he whispered but then stopped when he got back into the forest section of the way home. It was a bit hard but eventually, he made it back home and stopped to sigh. "We're home." He said out loud as he stepped onto the porch and then into the house. When he entered, he kicked off his shoes and then went into the main room to see everyone there.

He didn't have to say anything to get their attention and Tohru jumped up to her feet and ran to him. "You found Shinta?" she asked and then peeked into the carrier. Kyo nodded and put the carrier onto the table to open the small door to it. "I had to get him back from the pet store since they found him and took him in. I showed them the receipt and they gave him back." He explained when he saw the brunette eyeing the plastic cage. Opening the door, Shinta quickly got out, eager to be back home. Just as quickly as he got out, Tohru picked him up and cuddled him close to her. "There you are. I was so worried about you. I thought you weren't going to come back. What happened?" she kept talking to the cat as if it would respond to everything she said. Letting him go, she finally said, "I thought I was going to lose you but Kyo brought you back." And planted a kiss on Shinta's head, just between his ears. Watching the display, he reminded himself about the whole love thing with Tohru. _Maybe I should bring it up._ He wondered seeing Shinta slowly wander from Tohru to re-inspect the room for any changes.Taking fast advantage, he slowly got beside Tohru and wondered what to say. "So." He said without thought but then regretted it until it got her attention.

"About that boyfriend thing…" he said and then stopped to look around to see Yuki and Shigure slowly leaving as if to give privacy. _I bet Shigure is going to try to listen in. That sneak. _Kyo said in his thoughts, his eyes narrowing. He turned his attention to Tohru and saw that she was going to reply and quickly held up a hand. "Let's go outside with this one." He said and led her outside. Once they got outside, Kyo looked back to the girl and nodded for her to continue. "I was thinking about it and… I would." She quietly said and saw the cat Sohma gulp to himself. "Okay because I… you see…" he said, starting to feel a little nervous but the whole thing until he heard one of the things he treasured the most, Tohru's giggle. "I knew you would say something like that and yes!" she said, making the other feel lost. "I was thinking about everything… everything you said to me and did with me… and now I know." Tohru said, still in a quiet voice. _She found out on her own… just like how Yuki found out on his own. Fuck, am I that obvious?! _His thoughts raged but saw the girl talk some more. "So, yes." She simply said, making a smile slowly grow on his features.

Everything felt like pure bliss until his stomach dropped, remembering the incident with Shinta chasing the birds. _I should tell her about it… but what if she hates me for it? No, she just accepted my love for her. She couldn't just turn her back on me now… I hope she doesn't do that. _"Tohru? I have… something else to say." Kyo said, now his voice being quiet. The brunette just looked into worried eyes with her own confused ones and nodded. He didn't do anything for a moment and then took a deep breath. "It's my fault that Shinta went missing." He stated and saw Tohru look at him with now disbelief added to her confusion. "W-what?" she asked to prove her feelings and the redhead frowned. "It's my fault. I was jealous because you spent so much time with him while I was on the side struggling to show how much I care about you, how much I love you. So… there. It was all my fault." Kyo explained, his voice going from loud and fast to slow and gentle. The brunette said nothing and he grew more and more hopeless.

"Kyo… you didn't have to feel jealous. I do care for Shinta but this… this is a whole new kind of care. This is love." She said, her hands clapped together. Kyo slowly nodded and asked the question he feared the answer to, "So you forgive me?" he asked and saw her nod with a wide smile. "Yes. Just like my answer to the boyfriend question." Tohru said and then giggled happily. The happiness must have been contagious since he also found himself smiling. _I don't believe it. She forgives me for what happened with Shinta and she even returned my feelings for her. _It felt like too much to bare as he dropped a hand onto her smooth hair, "I love you." He whispered. "I love you, too." He heard Tohru reply with a blush on her cheeks and the words soon exploded in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, the brunette was holding a bright orange cat close to her. At her feet were clothing and on the male cat was a shirt that fitted him like an over-sized dress.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about the-" she panicked but Kyo just shook his furry head. "Don't worry about it." He replied, trying to regain his tough tone. _I wouldn't have it any other way, Tohru. _He then spoke in his thoughts. "Maybe we should get back inside. I'll get your clothing." She said, putting Kyo onto the ground to collect the scattered clothes and then the shirt from his small body. Watching her, the Sohma nodded and followed behind her back into the house. As he did, he finally found the moon he was searching for from the pet store. _Look at that… a new moon. Just like my relationship with Tohru. _His eyes slowly closing in joy to the glowing sphere in the navy sky.

o-o-o

**Just like how I typed in the top, I hope this chapter wasn't too bad or too out of character for anyone. This seems like the end of the story and it is but then it isn't. I do plan to write an epilogue but I already know it won't be long so I should have it up quicker than my previous chapters. Hugs to everyone.**


	11. The Anniversary

**Alright****, hm!**** Two updates in one day… even if this one is an epi****logue****. Just some notes and when we'll be on with it.**

**I don't own Fruits Basket.**

**There's a bit of a spoiler but I don't think it's too big. When I found it, I just laughed and did the "I knew it" speech. If anyone wants to skip it for some reason, it's in the second paragraph.**

**Thanks to CapricornGurl and KyoxSakiFan.**

**The text that's in italics aren't thoughts but you'll understand when you get to it.**

**Remember, this is an epilogue so it's short****, hm****. Also, there's a time skip from the previous chapter and this is told in Kyo's POV.**

_**CapricornGurl: **_**Awesome. Thanks for reading and reviewing throughout the story.**

_**KyoxSakiFan:**_** They did and isn't it? There's a part in this chapter that explains it. Thanks so much.**

o-o-o

The person I cherish and love has now been with me for a full month. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that Tohru is with me and has been for a month since that night. It feels like someone pushed the fast forward button in my life but I don't mind since all I need to be happy be happy is my Tohru.

We've so far been keeping our relationship silent though Yuki and Shigure already know about us. It's time like this that I have to question how I've come so far to even keep the Sohma curse a secret. Besides them, no one else really knows but then I don't care if they do or don't. That reminds me… I don't care what Akito thinks about me and Tohru being together, if she finds out or not. I know what happened with Hatori and Kana but it's not going to happen with us either.

Onto happier things, I guess. Things have gotten much better with Shinta. I think that stunt about trying to get him back changed what corrupt relationship we had. I used to be jealous but now I know that I have nothing to be jealous of. Sure, Tohru cares about him but how she cares about me is a whole 'nother story. Turns out that thing I saw in his eyes were gratefulness… no wonder I didn't pick it up before. I didn't even know Shinta could feel grateful but I was dead wrong. Now, I guess we're more on a friendlier level without the 'I'll kill you' glares and things.

Anyway, back to my favorite topic… Tohru. Like I said, today makes our month anniversary and I snuck into her room to leave her a gift. She's doing housework so I managed to do it easily. I was having trouble thinking of what to get her but I think she's going to like it anyway. At a store, I saw a teddy bear that I know she would like and got that with the usual card and flower. I know its very cliché but I didn't know what to get here. Along with that was this note I wrote. It's very sappy, I admit. It reads…

_My __Declaration__of__ Love..._

_To Hold In My Arms_

_To Cherish To No End_

_To Support __in__ Harsh Times_

_Forever More_

Heh, sappy isn't it? I just hope she likes it. That reminds me, she hasn't given me anything but then I don't care. Just having her with me is all I care about. Besides, whatever she does give me will come nowhere close to her just… being her.

o-o-o

**Now, I can say that this story is finished. I did mention twice that Kyo was being sappy and I do admit it may be out of character but just bare with it for the last and final chapter to this story. Hm, awesome thanks to everyone who read this story, reviewed it, etc. **

**Cookies for everyone. –Sets out plates of cookies-**

**Much love, Kris. **


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